The Epilepsy Association of Zambia is registered as a non-profit organization whose main objective is to improve the quality of life of the more than 80,000 people with epilepsy in Zambia. Since its inception the association has been instrumental in providing correct information about epilepsy, giving updated training in epilepsy to health care professionals and acts as an advocacy body for its members whenever they encounter discrimination.

For this year’s project, the Epilepsy Association of Zambia plans to add value to the tomato-growing initiative already in place in the association’s garden by embarking on a jam-making enterprise. Not limiting production to tomato jam, there are also plans to extend the range by buying fruits such as mangoes, pawpaws, oranges, strawberries and bananas at the local marke,t which will also be used to produce jam.

The finished product will be sold in a new association shop that will be located within the garden. The shop will also stock garden and poultry products produced by people with epilepsy working in the garden and more produce will be sold at wholesale prices to local shops.

The enterprise will train people with epilepsy in jam-making techniques and the profits with be used to pay the workers and to fund the Epilepsy Association of Zambia.

The project will receive US$5,000 from the Promising Strategies Program.