WV Zambia Donates Medical Supplies to Government

WV Zambia has donated medical equipment and supplies worth US $55,294.1 to government towards Gender Based Violence Survivor Support (GBVSS).

Speaking when handing- over the supplies to the Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health Emerine Kabanshi, National Director Mark Kelly said World Vision emphasizes on appropriate care for survivors of GBV.

“I believe that this donation will not only complement government efforts in ensuring that survivors of GBV receive quality medical care, but also improve the conviction rate for perpetrators by improving the medical forensic collection and investigation process,” said the National Director.

He observed that one of the key deliverables of the Gender-based Violence Survivor Support (GBVSS) project is to work with the Ministry of Community Development Mother and Child Health to establish one-stop centres.

And Ms Kabanshi said government recognizes World Vision in providing support to survivors of GBV.

The Minister said the donation of the medical equipment and supplies will go a long way in improving service delivery and the quality of care, particularly for survivors of GBV in all the 16 one stop centers. 

“I am aware that World Vision is currently planning to handover the operations of all the one-stop- centers to the government by the end of 2017, therefore the donation of medical equipment and supplies has come at a better time when government is equally planning to take over the running of the one- stop centres,” Ms Kabanshi said.  

She observed that the equipment and supplies will help doctors and nurses who are working in the one stop centers to carry out physical examinations for abused survivors in an efficient and effective manner. 

“May I bring to your attention that after any physical or sexual assault, early intervention is required not only to prevent long term physical and health consequences but to also ensure that survivors have timely access to justice,” said Ms Kabanshi. “It is for this reason that this donation will also increase the capacity of our medical personnel to collect evidence for prosecution processes.” 

Meanwhile Head of office from DFID, Emma Donelly said it is vitally important to provide support to survivors of GBV.

She said the scale of Gender Based Violence in Zambia is truly horrifying and the overwhelming majority of victims in Zambia are women. 

“We should never accept the degree of violence and exploitation as normal, we need to do all we can to work together to end it.” she said.

She added that the Zambian and UK Government are both committed to ending violence against women and child marriages. 

“I am confident that with the support and commitment of everyone and our partners across the Zambia and the world, we can build a future in Zambia in which no woman or man experiences violence as a consequence of their gender,” she said.