World Vision in Zambia Hands over a Modern Maternity Annex and Incinerator to Matushi Community in Mufumbwe District.

By Tisa Banda, Communications and Donor Liaison Officer

World Vision Zambia, with support from Golf Fore Africa, recently handed over to the government a maternity wing and incinerator at Matushi Rural Health Centre in Mufumbwe district of North-western Province to promote child and maternal health. This investment will benefit over 5,300 people in the district.

The maternity annex and incinerator were constructed at the cost of K1, 590,997.24 ($80,705.77 US dollars) and will benefit over 5000 people in the catchment area.

Speaking during the handover ceremony, World Vision Associate Director for Operations and Partnerships, Kenny Sondoyi, said the project is in line with the organisation’s five-year strategic goal of contributing to the measurable and sustainable improvement in the well-being of 1 500 000 vulnerable children across the country through water, hygiene and sanitation, reproductive, maternal newborn, adolescent and child health, literacy, and enhanced livelihoods and resilience interventions.

“To us, this is money well spent as we believe this infrastructure will improve the health status of pregnant and lactating mothers as well as under-five children, thereby reducing maternal and infant mortality rates and improving their indicators in Mufumbwe district and in Zambia as a whole, in line with Sustainable Development Goal (‎SDG) Number three (3)”, he said.

35-year-old Vumbi of Mulopwe village in the Matushi area in Mufumbwe district of Zambia’s Northwestern Province is a mother of five (5) and is now expecting her sixth child.

She delivered all her five babies at Matushi Rural Health Centre, but now, more than ever, she is looking forward to giving birth to her new baby at the same facility.

The difference is that the health facility now has a brand-new maternity annex and incinerator, with modern equipment and running water, thanks to World Vision and Golf Fore Africa, who worked together on the project that has since been handed over to the government.

“I am happy to see what World Vision has done. They have built a beautiful maternity annex. It has everything inside; water, a shower, and a flushable toilet. I will deliver my baby in the new maternity annex”, Vumbi said.

And speaking on behalf of the Zambian government, Northwestern Province Permanent Secretary, Col. Grandson Katambi, said the government has attached great importance to achieving universal health coverage through providing quality health care and working with partners and thanked World Vision for the project.

“Government’s commitment to providing Zambians with equity of access to cost-effective quality health care as close to the family as possible cannot be realised without strong partnerships with stakeholders like World Vision, who have been instrumental in supporting this project,” Col. Katambi said.

The maternity annex has elated other mothers in the community.

“I want to thank World Vision and Golf Fore Africa for giving us a new maternity annex. The old one is too close to the road and a playground, so whatever was going on in there would attract attention from the people outside”, said Mercy, a resident of Matushi.

“We had a challenge because the old maternity annex was very small and the water there had rust; hence we thank World Vision and Golf Fore Africa because the new one has enough space for even six mothers to deliver at the same time. It also has running water and a geyser, so when you want to bath, you press a button and easily take a shower”, said Prisca, a mother from Matushi.

The new maternity annex has running water supplied from a mechanised system put up by World Vision Zambia, which also supplies water to the nearby Matushi Primary School, much to the delight of the learners.

“I am thanking World Vision and Golf Fore Africa for giving us clean and safe water,” said 11-year-old Precious.