Zambia Union of Nurses Organization: Project Details

INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF NURSES (ICN) FUNDED PROGRAMMES

1. Girl Child Education Fund

This project started in 2005. Four National Nurses Organizations, Kenya, Swaziland, Uganda and Zambia were chosen to partner with the International Council of Nurses and implement the project. Each country was invited to nominate a National Coordinator to coordinate the project at country level. In Zambia Mrs. Perpetual Mwanawasa was nominated using the ICN criteria. The project was launched in Taipei, Taiwan on 23rd May 2005 as a response to the UN Millennium Development Goal No. 2: “Achieve universal primary education by 2015”. This project focuses on orphaned girl children who are either in primary or Secondary school education. It does not offer support for college of university education.

In 2006 the project started as a pilot with 10 children and later expanded to 40 children. Children under the pilot are being financed by Florence Nightingale International Foundation (FNIF) in collaboration with the International Council of Nurses (ICN) while the expanded programme of 40 children receives funding from Steven Lewis Foundation (SLF). With financial difficulties, that rocked SLF, they have temporarily stopped funding the project; instead the project is being financed by other well wishers.

ICN has donated GCEF Laptops to be used for reporting. Currently, eight (8) children under the pilot – two (2) have completed school and thirty-seven (37) children under the SLF funding – three have completed school.

2. ZUNO/ICN TB/MDR-TB Project

ZUNO in collaboration with ICN is implementing this project. This initiative is aimed at broadening and strengthening the capacity of nurses in treating and caring for TB and Multi-Drug Resistant TB. Mrs. Inutu Mbangweta the Provincial Chairperson for Lusaka is the National Coordinator for this project. Workshops held:
•The first workshop was held in Pretoria in 2007 where 10 nurses from Zambia were trained as trainers. When they came back they received funding and each one of them was able to train 15 more health workers except to the coordinator Mrs. Inutu Mbangweta who trained 30
•The second workshop, 27 trainers were trained last November 2007
•This year (2010) we hope to train 30 more nurses as Trainers.

3. The ICN/Eli Lily TB Award

The ICN/Eli Lilly TB Award is an award which gives recognition to a nurse or group of nurses who symbolize nursing excellence in TB prevention, care and treatment. ICN and the Eli Lilly Company are working closely together and other partners to build nursing capacity in countries where TB represents a high burden of disease.

In order to highlight the importance of nursing expertise and interventions in TB prevention, care and treatment ICN/Eli Lilly have established an annual award that recognizes nursing excellence.

In 2009, we participated in the award competition and one of our nurses Merina Musonda Nkhuwa from St. Francis Hospital received the award. This year (2010) Precious Nzala Chikotola from Kafue will receive the 2010 ICN/Eli Lilly award.

4. Mobile Library Project

The Project started in 2004 with a donation of nine (9) mobile libraries from the International Council of Nurses. In addition to the nine libraries ZNA at that time received one Library from the Japanese Nurses Association. The Libraries were distributed to all nine provinces through the Provincial Representatives. These Mobile Libraries were meant to rotate from one branch to the other. In 2005, the Canadian Embassy donated 10 Mobile Libraries which again were distributed to the Provinces.

In 2006, the International Council of Nurses entered into partnership with UNHCR for the purpose of extending the Mobile Library project to nurses in the Refugee camps. With this partnership, UNHCR received 25 Mobile Libraries which were distributed to Mayukwayukwa Refugee camp in Western Province, Maheba Refugee camp in Northwestern province, Kala refugee camp in Luapula province and Mwange Refugee camp in Northern Province. A number of workshops took place to train selected nurses in Mobile Library management. The last training was done in January 2008 and 70 nurses were trained from the time the project started. Four Coordinators were identified one in each of the four Districts hosting the Refugee camps.

In December 2008, we received additional 28 cartons of latest editions to stock up the Libraries.

Progress Made: the picture is gloomy. Very few nurses are utilizing the books in the Library. What we do not know as nurses is that knowledge is power; we should embrace the culture of reading. As it is now, the Library books are being utilized by other cadres, some of the books are gathering dust.

5. Wellness Centre for Nurses, Health Workers and their Immediate Families

The wellness centre concept is a nursing initiative aimed at directing attention to and providing dedicated services for the health, well-being and capacity of the health workforce. This initiative has been launched in Swaziland in 2006, Lesotho in 2007, Malawi and Zambia in 2008. In Zambia, we have realized that one principal barrier to health workers accessing health care services is that they have to ‘stand in the same queue’ as their clients, undermining the relationship of trust and authority which is fundamental to their effectiveness.

ZUNO has received financial and technical support from the following cooperating partners; The Zambia National Housing Authority allocated land to ZUNO on which we have constructed this building; the International Council Nurses supported a two team member from ZUNO for a study tour to Swaziland Wellness Centre and they have pledged to donate a Mobile Clinic Vehicle once the Wellness Centre is operational; the Norwegian Nurses Organization has financed the construction of the Wellness centre Building while Becton, Dickinson and Company has financed the construction of the wall fence (security fence).

On 14th October 2009 the building was officially handed over to ZUNO for its operations. The Wellness Centre Building has eight (8) rooms, one small kitchen, two receptions, one for the administration offices and one for the Wellness Centre. We need to reserve some rooms for wellness centre activities.

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