Roots

"Across the Zambezi River, up through the rugged hills and along the Kariba Gorge, officers made their way to Ibbwe Munyama (Black Rock) where the Army had established its ministry of spreading the Gospel," says Beverley McInnes in her book Flag Across the Zambezi, of the arrival of the Salvation Army in Zambia (then Northen Rhodesia) in the middle of 1922.

It was here at Ibbwe Munyama that the first Zambian Salvation Army school and clinic were established, which, later after their relocation to the fertile plateau of Chikankata, were to become Chikankata Higher Secondary School and Chikankata Hospital respectively, now in addition to the Boimedical College and the Nursing College, the tremendous complex that Chikankata is today!

With the formation of the new Territorial Health Development Strategy in 2009, our health ministry here in Zambia journeys back to its roots, making our services as close and accessible to the community's needs as possible. Of course, from the beginning and upto this time, the various community programmes run by the hospital are very much alive. What is but a noticeable positive change in our practice is the newly re-introduced "Weekly Doctor' s Trip" to our more remote health centres, which are now eight in all and is still expanding. These health centres are manned by Clinical Officers and Nurses with some of the centres having facilities to admit in patients. Now the services of our centres are strengthened and better reinforced with these visits by a doctor and his/her team from Chikankata. Yes, our aim is to ensure that every community member within our catchment population of 100,000 to have a feel of the priceless 'doctor's touch' from now and in times to come.

Here are few related photos.

I am standing in front of the ruins of the first clinic/dispensary at Ibbwe Munyama. In mid 1945 this clinic/dispensary was relocated to Chikankata. Those pioneer missionaries could hardly have envisaged the tremendous complex that Chikankata is to become.

The Transport Officer who is the driver for this day's trip, Mr Coster Kazila inspects the Landcruiser on our way back from Chaanga Rural Health Centre to Chikankata. Driving on a bad road such as this one is especially risky at night. But this day also the medical team is forced to stay back due to the large number of patients that turn out to be seen by a doctor.

Chikanzaia Rural Health Centre is situated on a plateau between beautiful hills. The many cables and poles visible are our communication lifeline through Chikankata Salvation Radio and mobile phones.

(Pic. by Dr. Lunkamba)
Stuck!! The team has to cross many streams such as this one to reach our health centres. It can be difficult during the rainy season. However, nothing can stop our committed team members from reaching out to the most in need. Here Dr. Gabriel Lunkamba, our Obs. & Gynae. doctor (in white vest) has to apply his multiple skills.

(Pic. by Dr. Lunkamba)
Just imagine how bad the road will be when even a Landcruiser finds it difficult to pass.

(Pic. by Dr. Lunkamba)
A herd-boy leading his cattles on the way to Chaanga and Sianyoolo.

(Pic. by Dr. Lunkamba)
Beautiful rocks on the way to Chaanga and Sianyoolo

(Pic. by Dr. Lunkamba)

Beautiful blue hills at a distance on Chaanga and Sianyoolo road.

Just recently a Jet has passed through above this hill at Ibbwe Munyama. A beautiful sight indeed!

Ibbwe Munyama road. There is often incidents of head-on collision with an ox-cart!!

Chaanga Rural Health Centre, one of our centres that has facility to admit inpatients. Together with Sianyoolo, it is the most difficult centre to have access to because of the extremely bad roads.

Patients flock together at Chaanga Rural Health Centre from all directions, using all means of transport. Today, these two ladies bring their old mother suffering from severe malnutrition, diarrhoea and dehydration.

The men waiting for their turn to be seen by a doctor.

The women, many of them senior citizen, anxiously waiting for their turn as well.

During one of our trips, Nathan (a medical student from Manchester, UK) spots this soccer goal post with a net. The net is made of nothing but the same Insecticide Treated Net (ITN) distributed this year by members of our malaria control programme. With the first ever hosting of FIFA World Cup by African continent this year, soccer fever is sky high even among remote villagers. I am afraid our malarial fever index will also become as high!

Nathan trying his skill on peeling a sugarcane. Our hospital and health service set up is quite friendly for medical students from abroad to do their electives. We constantly have students from all over the world, and they are very much a part of our system and by filling various gaps. Chikankata is fortunate in such a way that it is a centre where a wide knowledge and experience in the field of medical science is shared. More students (nursing & medical) as well as volunteers are welcome.

The remains of the old water pump house at Ibbwe Munyama.

We spot this graffiti at Chikanzaia village. It's really cute. This is all they have, but they are filled with hope for the future. So am I!!

Care Givers Day Celebration

In Chikankata where Christianity is practically at its best, hardly a day pass by without some sort of celebration - a celebration of friendship, care, love, peace, hope, and of course, LIFE!

This time round, it's a DAY for the 'Care Givers', who earned the title of 'heroes' through their commitment and sincere dedication towards the care of people living with HIV/AIDS within the community and the homes.

Zambia, with 15% of its 12 million people having HIV and with a heavy disease burden to bear upon its own shoulder, however, does not lose hope or give up the fight. People like our care givers here are assurance we had with whom we share a common faith of overcoming one day. It's hard to predict when that day will be. But once a change has occured 'inside' with resultant resolve to face positively, then it's already happening. We are heading towards dawn.

<--The main carers of orphans due to AIDS are aunts and uncles but, with increasing ill health and deaths among them too, elderly grandmothers are increasingly also becoming the main carers. In Zambia, more than one-quarter of all children under 15 are already orphaned, and an estimated two-thirds of rural households like here in Chikankata already look after one or more orphaned children. To be in a household containing orphans has become the norm, not the exception. It can also be said that there are only two kinds of people. Those infected with HIV and those affected by it.

The first response to problems caused by HIV/AIDS comes --> from the affected children, families, and communities themselves, not from government agencies, NGOs or donors. This is because the impact of AIDS is experienced first at individual, household and family levels, and gradually more widely in the community. Since such is the case, I think Chikankata AIDS programme is doing the right thing by empowering the individual, family and the community in its fight against AIDS.

<--However, given the scale of the problems and the fact that those hardest hit are often the most disadvantaged, this first response will be insufficient on its own. Additional assistance from governments, NGOs and donors is crucial. For example, like here where each community health assistant is given a bicycle through funds coming from certain donors like the ones mentioned below.

United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-->

<--The Salvation Army Red Shield Services and others

The Salvation Army World Services Office (SAWSO)-->

<--Our 4 year old daughter Melissa has already started learning much about HIV and AIDS through her father's demonstration using her multipurpose learning board. And I belief this is a simple but significant step every individual can take towards making our community and the world a better place to live in.

"I am a very lucky little boy. My father and mother died. I am an orphan and I am infected. But I am living with a foster family and I am strong and healthy....You can't get AIDS by hugging, kissing, holding hands - we are normal. We are human beings". A testimony of Nkosi Khumalo Johnson, an 11-year-old boy with AIDS, a presentation he made during the XIII International Conference on HIV/AIDS in Durban, July 2000. He died one year later in June 2001.Your care and concern counts. Whoever we are and whatever we may do, we all can be 'Care Giver'.