Socio-Economic And Environmental Development Solutions (SEEDS)

President

Joanne Hutchinson: Is the Founder and President of Socio-Economic And Environmental Development Solutions (SEEDS) and manages SEEDS Garage Sales store in Toronto. With 40 years experience in business management and accounting, she also has extensive experience with developing and delivering training modules. Joanne was raised part time on a farm in Ontario Canada which has provided a lifelong love of animals and concern for the environment. Always one to fight for the ‘underdog,’ Joanne has never been one to sit back at wait for others to do the right thing.

Joanne lives in Toronto, Canada and has visited Zambia Africa five times ,Aug. 2011 and Aug. 2012 and April 2014, Aug. 2015 and April 2017. Joanne co-manages with Lungowe Mulopo, Project Manager of The Silozi Seed Bank and Trees For Elephants resource garden and tree nursery and her team in Mongu, Zambia and Paul Chibesa, manager of The Ngoni Seed Bank and Trees for Elephants in Chipata Zambia. Joanne also co-manages SEEDS two Bed & Breakfasts, SEEDS B & B, Mongu-Mulopo Flats and Chibesa Cottages-Chipata.

The first visit to Zambia was to meet her sponsored child Njamba , then 16 years old, and his family and provide items for them to earn extra income such as a chisel set, saw, material to make quilts.

The second time Joanne went with her husband Carl to take Njamba and his 20 year old brother the funds to attend high school. Njamba has now graduated in Dec.2015 from Kalabo High School and attended a Government run Agriculture and Animal Husbandry course in Kaoma, Zambia. We are so proud!

SEEDS official start date is October 29, 2013 SEEDS as we received Canadian charitable status. Socio-Economic And Environmental Development Solutions (SEEDS) # 801572736RR0001. We are able to give income tax receipts for any monetary donations we receive.

While there, Joanne fell in love with the people and animals of Zambia.

Joanne is making efforts to bring awareness to the declining seed diversity in Zambia, Canada, and worldwide. By helping people feed themselves, helping the environment and supporting Elephants, our charity is accomplishing three goals just be sending Non-GMO fruit and vegetable seeds to underprivileged people.She believes that the human race will not survive unless we all come to realize that we are just another species, and our interdependence with other species is crucial to the survival of our planet.

Awards: Joanne’s book Arctic Footprints-Renu The Polar Bear, Stepping out of the Past has been accepted into the resource libraries in the Durham, Peel, Toronto and Manitoba School Boards, and Joanne participated in the Durham District School Board’s 2013 Science, Canadian and World Studies, History, Geography and Social Studies Resource Showcase on April 24, 2013and 2014.

Secretary

Ellena Andoniou, BHSc, M.Sc., MPH

PhD Candidate | Global Health & Development

Global Health Conference Co-Ordinator

SASA Scientific Committee & Editorial Board

Ellena is currently a PhD candidate focusing on Global Health and Development and has an abundance of field experience planning, implementing and coordinating community-based probiotic food projects in Tanzania and Kenya. She has an extensive background in HIV/AIDS, nutrition, community health, capacity building, community mobilization and project management. Her research has allowed her to work closely with the National Institute for Medical Research in Tanzania, The Kenya Medical Research Institute, and other development and health-care organizations in the region. We love Ellena’s way with words and her invaluable skills in grant writing.

Treasurer

Sorcha Kellett BSc. (Hons), Human Nutrition and Dietetics,Member of I.N.D.I: Sorcha has many years of experience as a clinical dieitition in Ireland. Since moving to Canada her work has focused more on nutrition research,working with Dr. David Jenkins, Director, Risk Factor Modification Centre, St. Michael’s Hospital. Sorcha is also trained in bookkeeping , is well versed in medical office administration and has a young family that keep us in touch with the “kid” side of things. Sorcha has so kindly provided SEEDS with a garage to store all of our SEEDS operating materials and dried seeds.

Project Manager- Mongu

Lungowe (Lulu) Mulopo: MBA (Marketing), Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India. Honours Degree. BBA (Strategic Marketing), University of Namibia.

Lulu is a professional with great work ethic; Honesty, Integrity, Respect, Discipline and Focused, Accountable and Responsible. Experienced and skilled in Sales and Marketing, Administration, Business Development, Communications and Events Management with a demonstrated history of working in NGOs and Nonprofit Organizations, Financial Institutions, the Agricultural Sector and others.

Lungowe is also a writer and spoken word artist, a motivational speaker and a mentor passionate about helping others to discover their purpose in life so they can unleash their full potential and live a fulfilled life of purpose as they make this world a better place.

Lungowe has also started a mixed farming and value-added agriculture business with the use of the local ecosystem to help manage and run an organic farm. Lungowe has started with rearing pigs and hopes to include chickens, goats, sheep, cattle ranching and include fish farming and different types of crops such as soya beans, sunflower, caster bean and other types of fruit and vegetables.

Retired Project Manager- Mongu

Freddrick our owner/manager

Mr. Fredrick Mulupo: Headman Mongu, is a former World Vision staff member. He is now retired as the site manager for the Silozi Seed Bank and Trees For Elephants projects in Mongu, Barotseland. Mr. Mulupo has pledged a number of plots and shop for project activities in Mongu and has identified the same in Kalabo for initial project activities. Fredrick has worked very hard for the past 11 years digging compost pits and preparing the garden and nursery sites for planting. He is well respected in his community and has personal connections with the Chief and Litunga (King) of the Lozi people. Thank you for your 11 years of service to The Silozi Seed Bank and Trees for Elephants. We hope you enjoy your well deserved retirement!

Assistant Manager-Mongu

Mr. Matindo Jeff Mulopo: Is an assistant manager in Mongu when he is there. We are happy to announce that Matindo is presently working as a Registered Nurse in Kalabo, where our charity first started. He graduated from Eden University in 2021 and we are so proud of him. When he is on site in Mongu, Barotseland, as well as being our resident nurse, he is responsible for computer communication with Canada, providing photos for our web site, training nursery staff and overseeing both gardens. Matindo will recruit volunteers in Mongu to fill the planting tubes, deliver seeds and maintain the nurseries. His wonderful personality, communication and Information Technology skills make interacting with the local farmers comfortable and efficient. Matindo can think on his feet and we feel confident that our Resource Garden and Tree Nursery are in good hands. Matindo is a valuable asset to SEEDS and has also furthered his education around agriculture, animal husbandry (cattle & pigs), fish farming, crop production, horticulture, pomology ( growing fruit), farm engineering, communication skills, entrepreneurship, computer and soil science at the Kaoma Youth Resource Centre Zambia. All the best Matindo!

Assistant Manager-Mongu

Mr. Emanuel Mulopo: is our assistant manager in Mongu. If you are noticing a pattern, yes Emanuel is our manager’s son and our assistant manager’s brother. They are all a hard working, responsible family who are taking good care of SEEDS in Mongu. Emanuel has been keeping me up to date with events in Mongu and sending pictures of our fish farm and ever changing crops. Emanuel has attended Agricultural College in Mongu and we are very happy to have him working with SEEDS in Mongu at present. Emanuel will take it upon himself to get a job done with out being asked. He has the foresight to see what needs to be done and will just go and do it. Emanuel is a good communicator, photographer, farmer and grounds keeper. he has major successes with rice farming in the Barotse Flood Plains. We are blessed to have him! We hope you will be with us for many years to come, even while furthering your education.

Project Manager-Kalabo

Mr. Mwauluka Namanagolwa: Mualuka, is how I know him and he has been a most valuable asset to World Vision, Njamba and his family, his community at large and especially to SEEDS. Mwauluka was the volunteer with World Vision who found Njamba and determined he was in need of a sponsor. He was also the person who took the annual photos of Njamba and filled out his progress report that was sent to Joanne each year. Due to the experience volunteering with World Vision, Mualuka was asked to be a councilor for the government for the rural area he lives in. Again as a volunteer councilor, Mwauluka has helped his community immensely and is now our project manager for Kalabo.

Mualuka has successfully grown all of the different varieties of vegetable seeds that we have provided to him which do not normally grow there. As a few examples, Honey Dew melons, cantaloupe, and Kabocha squash. With help from SEEDS, Mualuka has planted Moringa trees and built raised beds to combat drought or flooding that may occur in his area. For more of the wonderful things Mwauluka has done go to http://sendseedstoafrica.org/interpreters-chickens/.

Project Manager-Kaoma

Mr. Njamba Kazaka: is our newest manager in Kaoma. Njamba was born and raised in rural Barotseland on a farm run by his family near Kalabo. Njamba graduated from Kalabo High School and is a valuable asset to SEEDS-Kaoma as he has just acquired a 30 hectare farm there . The soil is much different in this area compared to Mongu so we are able to grow different crops that in Mongu. Njamba was trained in agriculture, animal husbandry (cattle & pigs), fish farming, crop production, horticulture (pomology growing fruit), farm engineering, communication skills, entrepreneurship, computer and soil science at the Kaoma Youth Resource Centre Zambia. SEEDS is happy to sponsor such a fine, hard working young man. All the best Njamba!

Project Manager- Chipata

Mr. Paul Chibesa is our manager at SEEDS Chipata-The Ngoni Seed Bank and Trees for Elephants. Paul has done so much for his local community and continues to help and give in anyway he can. Paul is a great writer, photographer, fundraiser, and cheerleader when you need a cheer up. Paul has a gift to see the good in everything and will make you feel better with his kind words! We are proud to call him a friend and part of our team.

Our Volunteers

Canada

SEEDS has many volunteers in Canada who save seeds, unused utility envelopes, washed out milk bags. We are very thankful for their help and cannot put all of their pictures on this page but here is a picture of our Charity shop with students from a local public school who visited us.

SEEDS Garage Sales store collects gently used items from our community in Toronto, sells them and the proceeds allow us to do our projects in Toronto and Zambia Africa. We have had over 160 student volunteers who have obtain their community hours in order to pass high school.