JCTR Bulletin 2nd Quarter 2016

With the political campaigns reaching a vertex, campaign materials can be seen all around the streets of Lusaka and I’m sure the same can be said for other parts of the country. Various presidential candidates are working hard to convince the electorate that they are the best among all those voting for the republican presidency. This quarter’s bulletin has a special focus on the coming elections. A number of articles herein highlight various issues relating to the August polls. On the first page of this bulletin, we start with a prayer for our country Zambia, we pray for the Lord to see us through this election period and keep our country peaceful. JCTR’s intern, Clare Allsopp, from the U.K, offers her thoughts on the importance of voter participation, drawing comparisons with the recent Referendum that took place in the U.K. Phoebe N. Moono, gives us an insight into rural development and challenges being faced by people in these areas. She looks at the prevailing conditions in most rural areas in Zambia but also gives specific attention to Namwala district, an area where people have limited access to social amenities. Her contribution urges the government to develop policies that can secure effective rural development. She also encourages the church, CSOs and NGOs to conduct sensitization programmes to raise awareness on how the right holders can make duty bearers accountable for failing to allow them basic rights. This is to enable the majority vulnerable and marginalized groups to ask the necessary questions on service provision and claiming their rights.