Zambia

Paragraphs that mention volunteering

Paragraph 1, page 6

To enhance health service delivery and improve the client-to-health personnel ratio, in 2021 the Government recruited over 11,000 additional health personnel to complement the already existing numbers in the sector. In line with the Community Health Strategy of 2017, the Government has continued to increase access to quality health services through the introduction of the Volunteer cadre known as Community Welfare Assistants Committees. Arising from this measure, it is expected that the client-to-health personnel ratio will respectively reduce to: 3,500 from 6,750 persons per doctor; 3,000 from 4,600 persons per clinical officer; and 500 from 750 persons per nurse/midwife, in 2026 compared to 2020, respectively.

Paragraph 2, page 114

VOLUNTEERS WORKING IN VARIOUS SECTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE SDGS By UNITED NATIONS VOLUNTEERS AND MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL SERVICES
Service delivery in Zambia has mainly been supported with the help of Volunteers in various sectors. For instance, in the Ministry of Health (MoH) it has been found to be essential to ensure effective and efficient community health service delivery through frontline health workers in the formal setting who collaborate with the informal setting of voluntary support. The engagement of volunteers in the sector resulted in the MoH coming up with the Community Health Strategy (CHS). The CHS is laid out to strengthen the operationality and functionality of their relationships and facilitate quality and sufficient community healthcare thereby contributing to Goal 3 on Good Health and Well-being. In a study conducted on the Volunteers’ contributions to the achievement of the SDGs in Zambia, the findings indicated that Volunteers’ contributions have a bearing across all the 17 SDGs in different sectors. The Volunteers also exist in most government ministries and civil society organisations (CSOs), assisting in service delivery. There is, however, a limitation to ascertain or quantify the actual Volunteer contributions in the absence of in-depth studies and the lack of documentation in local voluntary CSOs. The World Health Organisation recognises poverty as one of the social determinants of health, and the Volunteers who work on social welfare and support Social Cash Transfer (SCT) implementation through the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (MCDSS) and primary healthcare programmes under the health sector, are not only contributing to SDG 1 but to SGD 3 as well. In the health sector for instance, it has been long appreciated that the scarcity in human resources of health workers experienced at every service delivery level, including at community outreach interventions, poses a challenge requiring concerted efforts through community engagement. The MoH has recognised the shortages of human resources in service delivery of quality healthcare being critical to the provision of services. The Volunteer cadre known as Community Welfare Assistants Committees (CWACs) under the MCDSS are involved in many programmes, among them community case management and the 1st 1,000 Days under the SCT, piloted in selected districts. The 1st 1,000 Days is a nutrition programme meant to support parents/families as they embark on the journey of raising their children. The contributions made by the Volunteers under the SCT and social welfare and health-related programmes have been immense with about 90,006 Volunteers working under health and 87,750 volunteers for the various programmes under MCDSS. The SCT was initially implemented on a pilot basis in Kalomo District in August 2003. Twenty years down the line, the programme has spread to 116 districts with over 1 million beneficiaries. The increase in beneficiaries exerted pressure on the public service workers who were implementing, but CWACs have been filling the gap as Volunteers.

Paragraphs that mention the integration of volunteering into development plans, policies and strategies

Paragraph 1, page 114

Service delivery in Zambia has mainly been supported with the help of Volunteers in various sectors. For instance, in the Ministry of Health (MoH) it has been found to be essential to ensure effective and efficient community health service delivery through frontline health workers in the formal setting who collaborate with the informal setting of voluntary support. The engagement of volunteers in the sector resulted in the MoH coming up with the Community Health Strategy (CHS).