Richard and Cherri initiated work on the first Chiawa community-‐‑owned fish farm in the pontoon area of Chiawa in December 2009.
The initial clearing of 10 hectares was done by hand by 19 family members of Kupfhuma Ishungu co‑op. Explore Africa Zambia / DIA funded the completion of the project with heavy equipment, digging the ponds, further clearing the fields, providing fencing, installing the pump and other equipment needed for the farm. A secondary project at the fish farm is a small organic produce farm that benefits from the run off water from the fishponds and assists in feeding the fish. There is also a small banana plantation, being successfully harvested at the farm. Approximately 24,000 fish per year can be harvested from the existing 6 ponds. We are pleased to announce that this project is now totally self sufficient which is the goal for all our projects. We are now assisting another fish pond site in a village called Mshongedende. The entire farm is managed fully by locals.