The SAM Project
The SAM Project (Sustainability through Agriculture and Micro-Enterprises) is a secular, non-political organization that enables sustainable solutions to local needs, using available resources, community oversight and the mechanisms of the Zambian market economy.
The goal of the SAM Project is to facilitate local enterprise in communities in Southern Zambia who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. The SAM Project links communities to the resources and skills necessary to engage in small-scale economic activities, such as gardening, egg production and beekeeping. The crops are raised and sold at local markets in order to provide cash for individuals, families, and community groups. The enterprises, once established, become locally sustainable and are not dependent on external donations.
Since 2007, the SAM Project has been assisting rural communities to raise themselves up from an ongoing cycle of poverty and poor nutrition. We work at a household and community level to strengthen and assist existing enterprises by providing access to new skills and resources. By adopting a collaborative approach with other agencies and organizations, we are able to do a lot with a very little. Although our primary focus is the establishment of agricultural projects, we pursue a holistic approach to community development. The water initiatives that we support enable crop production, which in turn provide cash and crops to improve family nutrition. In Zambia, where fully 50% of children are stunted due to chronic malnutrition, this linkage of effort amplifies the beneficial effects of our work.
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Call for student volunteers, long-term volunteers and interns to help both at home and in Africa. Details...
The impacts of HIV/AIDS, drought, and other calamities have added to the crushing burden borne by the rural women, who are already responsible for most of the daily tasks of child-rearing, water and firewood collection and food preparation. The SAM Project contributes to gender equity by improving family nutrition and reducing women's workloads. The enterprises established with the help of the SAM Project create opportunities for women to learn new skills and reduce the necessity for family members to migrate away from the home for seasonal wage labour.
The goodwill and altruism of our staff and supporters allow us to continue our work.
We invite you to donate.
The SAM Project exists on the goodwill and altruism of our staff and supporters. All our staff are volunteers, who also pay their own travel and living expenses when in Africa. Our office and administrative overhead is all donated, and 100% of donations we receive are used in the rural communities where we work.