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Tag: Zambia

Community member talking about the impacts of training

Demonstrating the value of community leadership in the fight against COVID-19

Written by s.mutafya on . Posted in Zambia.

Community member talking about the impacts of training
Linda Masuwa Ward Development Committee Secretary
Copyright NatuReS Zambia

The ability of a community to mitigate against adverse effects of Covid-19 by preventing its spread is crucial in fighting the current pandemic. Especially the success of sensitization campaigns depends heavily on the adequate communication within local communities. NatuReS Zambia, in collaboration with the Lusaka Water Security Initiative (LuWSI) and Lusaka City Council (LCC), demonstrates how response measures can be grounded and effectively carried out under the leadership of community governance structures. 

Building on the community engagement and empowerment processes implemented by LCC, Zambia Institute of Mass Communication (ZAMCOM) conducted a series of trainings for Ward Development Committees and Community Facilitators. Their capacity to build networks and effectively communicate with the communities is key in the implementation of Covid-19 prevention measures. The goal of the trainings is to build a pipeline of community-generated stories that link communities with media houses to give a practical expression of community views, experiences, lessons, ideas and knowledge on Covid-19. The more communities identify with awareness campaigns and prevention measures, the stronger is their ability to fight the spread of the pandemic.

This training series is also an important aspect of social change, as it represents an interactive avenue to communicate societal thinking and norms. It will help convey experiences from the perspective of communities and hence make it possible to better inform future interventions. Moreover, evaluating the effectiveness of measures and expanding lessons learnt and best practices within communities will ensure a stronger impact and eventually improve public health. 

Community member talking about training
Masauso Ng’ombe Ward Development Committee Secretary
Copyright NatuReS Zambia

Author: Sonile Mutafya, NatuReS Advisor, Zambia

pipeline for improved water security

Improving water supply for low income communities in Lusaka

Written by s.mutafya on . Posted in Sambia Editor, Zambia.

As one of the fastest-growing cities in Southern Africa, the Zambian capital Lusaka faces numerous threats to its water security. This is especially the case for low-income areas, where mere access to water remains a challenge. One such area is George Compound, a peri-urban community of 200,000 residents located in the Western part of Lusaka. Many residents fetch their water at public kiosks, serviced by the local utility company’s wellfields. However, some residents still fetch it from contaminated or heavily polluted shallow wells.

To address this problem, the Lusaka Water Supply and Sanitation Company (LWSC) implemented a water supply improvement project in George compound and the surrounding industrial area. The project was financed by Zambian Breweries (ZB) at a cost of 150,000$. It involved the drilling of a borehole and the installation of a 3.4km pipeline to George compound.

pipeline for improved water security
The commissioned pipeline
Copyright: LWSC and ZB

Over 40,000 community members will benefit from this collective action, implemented under the Lusaka Water Security Initiative (LuWSI) partnership. Additionally, it will also serve as a COVID-19 prevention measure, as it provides reliable access to water and hence makes e.g. regular hand-washing possible.

The Minister of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection, Honorable Rapheal Nakachinda, commissioned the project infrastructure on March 19th, 2021. NatuReS Zambia as partners of LuWSI facilitate and promote such collective action in order to manage natural resources for sustainable growth and better livelihoods.

people inaugurating the new pipeline
Minister of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection, Rapheal Nakachinda, inaugurating the new pipeline
Copyright: LWSC and ZB

Author: Sonile Mutafya, NatuReS Advisor, Zambia