HEPS (High Energy Protein Supplement) Project.
Background:
This is a small HEPS production unit which engages nine impoverished women from the local community, most of whom are widows, in the production of HEPS. This is a nutrition supplement made from Soya beans, mealie meal, sugar and powdered milk. Once produced it is then used locally to provide nutritional support for sick and malnourished people in the Lukulu area.
The group of women, most of whom are illiterate, came together in May 2007 and have been producing HEPS on a regular basis ever since. At the beginning they were given a short training on the production of HEPS and basic equipment was purchased. The idea was that the women should be able to source local ingredients to produce the HEPS and then sell it for profit in the local community, thus the project would be sustainable within itself. However since the beginning it has been impossible to source soya beans locally despite many approaches to local farmers, and so they have to be transported in from Lusaka. In addition powdered milk has escalated in costs and so it is impossible for the women to buy all the ingredients themselves and sell what would then be a very expensive commodity within an impoverished community. Thus, in order to enable the group to survive and to produce a local supply of HEPS, donor funding has been used to subsidise the expensive ingredients, soya beans and powdered milk accordingly while the women provide the rest.
Thus, with this assistance the women have been able to manage and engage in a meaningful activity of producing HEPS, undertaking all of the processing themselves, buying the locally obtainable ingredients ie. sugar and mealie meal from their profits, and earning a ‘wage’ for themselves each month. As well as selling small quantities of HEPS directly to wage earners in the wider community, their produce is bought by local projects to support people living with HIV & AIDS, malnourished children and TB patients in the local hospital. These are the most vulnerable in the community who need nutritional support.
Thus through this project a small group of vulnerable impoverished women are given the dignity of work through which they are enabled to earn a small income with which to support the basic needs of their own families, while at the same time providing a local source for a much needed nutrition supplement.
Production of HEPS:
HEPS is comprised of four ingredients: soya flour, mealie meal, sugar and powdered milk.
Although the latter three ingredients are purchased in an already processed state ready for mixing, the women have to first produce the soya flour from the soya beans which are bought. This is a labour intensive process to which the women commit most of their time and energy. Initially they sort the beans and remove any bad beans or dirt and stones gathered during the harvesting process. Then the beans are boiled and put out in the sun to dry.
Soya beans in themselves do not have a nice taste and so after drying the women roast the beans to give them a good flavour before taking them off to the grinder in the main part of the town for milling into soya flour.
Once the soya flour is produced, all of the ingredients in their particular mesurements, are put into a custom-made mixer which is manually rotated by the women. This is the final step in the production of the HEPS. Once the HEPS is ready it is packaged into 1kg pkts or 25kg sacks ready for sale or distribution to .the sick and needy.
Benefits derived from the project:
This income generating activity of HEPS production, albeit with some assistance from donor funding, is essentially a sustainable activity which provides a small income for the women in the group thus providing a continual source of cash income for them. It also gives them the dignity of earning their own income rather than receiving hand-outs. The money allows them to provide for the basic needs of their own families such a food, clothing, shelter and education (see selection of personal stories below). As this is largely a non-cash economy for the poor (existing mainly by subsistence agriculture and barter exchange of goods, the money earned by these women allows them to meet cash demands such as school fees and uniform for their children which they would otherwise be unable to do, and thus their children unable to attend school.
There are also wider benefits to the community especially to those who are sick and malnourished as there is an ongoing supply of HEPS available locally.
Personal Stories: (Names have been omitted although permission was received from the women to present these stories)
These stories have been presented with spelling and grammatical errors as received. Some of the women got family members to write as they related their own story orally.
In 2005 my husband was sick at home. HBC (Home Based Care) members visited us and found him in bed. They took him to the hospital for admition. I have eight children of which for are going to school. I started facing problems of looking after my children and my husband who was in hospital. Sr Pat being HBC in charge saw the problems I was going through. And she asked me to join heps project. I agreed but said I am a New Apostolic member. She said HBC and herself helps anybody dispite of religion. My heart was strengthened by words. We were many when started but today we are only nine (9) of us who are working. We do not earn a salary but from the little money we are given I am able to buy books uniforms for children and sometimes even food for them.
I would thank Sister Patricia very much for improving my financial standerd to sustain our living, us people in need. May your kindness be for ever and ever. I thank you in the name of all might God. Amount of money I get each month K190 000 (approximately US $ 40)
It’s a pressure to lay my warm gratitude to you over the changes you have brought into my life.
I am a widow keeping 6 Orphans but, after I joined the heps project, things have change din my life. Every thing seem to be abit easy. At least I am able to by food for the 6 orphans, taking them to school, buying clothes and some of the needs of a human life “being”.
Blessing be to Sister Patricia and the heps project for giving us this chance of working with them to sustain our living, we people in need.
It’s a plea to you sister and for all the well wishers to continue supporting us through projects of different kinds. The so called projects are bringing joy to our lives. May your kindness be forever. God bless you for ever and ever. The amount of money K 190 000 a month.
I am greately indebted to inform you that, through God’s will you gave me the job which I am working now. I find it to be of great importance to have this job opportunity because as it is now, I am able to feed and look after my family as well as myself. I have four orphans to take care of. It is through this job that, I have managed to change my lifestyle and I have got enough knowledge from it.
I therefore thank you very much.