All joy as Nakatindi maternity annex is commissioned

SARA Katombora, seemingly over 50, is a resident of Livingstone’s Nakatindi township. She has lived in the area for many years.
“This is my home and all these people you see are here to witness something that we have for a long time waited and longed for,” she says. 

 Truly, she is among the many people that gathered at the only clinic in the township to witness the official handover of a maternity annex.
“We are very grateful for this gesture because we used to suffer every time it came to giving birth here,” says Mrs Katombora, who is also the Nakatindi health committee chairperson.
“We tried all we could to have this facility here and today, it is gratifying to see it come to fruition,” she adds.
The maternity annex in question was constructed by two destination management companies: Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy and Sussi and Chuma Sanctuary Retreats in Livingstone.
Furnished with modern medical equipment and supplies of over US$400,000, the actual building is valued at well over US$200,000.
“This is but just a fraction of our many community works we have been doing in not only Zambia, but all the places where we have a presence. This is our way of giving back to the community,” says Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy coordinator Camilla Rhodes.
Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy has full-time community development professionals around the world who are responsible for facilitating its commitment to its community partners and introducing guests to its philanthropic investments.
Other than Zambia, the company also has a presence in Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Peru, Sri Lanka, India, and south-east Asia.
“We are dedicated to positively impacting lives and livelihoods in the communities where our guests travel. We are equally committed to ensuring guests learn about our philanthropic investments as an integral part of their travel experience.
“From Africa to Asia, Latin America to the Antarctic, we are working with partner communities on education, health care, conservation and enterprise development projects,” says Ms Rhodes.
Ms Rhodes said her organisation has been working with numerous funders from the United States of America to ensure the successful completion of the project.
Sussi and Chuma Sanctuary, on the other hand, is a lodge built on a dramatic bend of the Zambezi River in the Mosi-Oa- Tunya National Park, about 12 kilometres upstream from the Victoria Falls.
It is named after Dr David Livingstone’s faithful friends, Sussi and Chuma.
Its involvement with the Nakatindi community in Livingstone dates as far back as 2010, and, with the help of elders, various projects in education, conservation, and entrepreneurship have been identified and implemented in the community.
And the new 275 square metre maternity annex recently constructed at Nakatindi is the partnerships’ largest investment to date and provides increased capacity for antenatal care.
The facility features a delivery room, sluice, antenatal and postnatal rooms, ultrasound room, duty room for stay-over staff, washrooms and an office.
Facing long distances without access to transportation, the majority of women in Zambia still give birth at home without the assistance of a skilled health worker.
Livingstone mayor Eugene Mapuwo officially commissioned the facility that many hope will be a great milestone in enhancing maternal health care in the district.
Before that, Livingstone only had five clinics offering maternal services. For the Nakatindi community, the nearest health facility is Mahatma Gandhi, which is about 10 kilometres away.
“As you may be aware, Nakatindi clinic was built in 2014 with a catchment area population of about 6,000 and 13,000 as per headcount, according to the Central Statistical Office (CSO),” he says.
He adds: “With this growing population, this facility is very busy and critical in the provision of the primary health care services in Livingstone district.”
He said Government will always value partnerships in the development and provision of health care services.
“This is a clear testimony of our resolution to provide better health services to our people and of course with the commitment of other stakeholders who have gone out of their way to assist Government realise this dream,” he said.
Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy and Sussi and Chuma Sanctuary in 2014 constructed and handed over both the clinic and ablution block fitted with water reticulation.
The Ministry of Health attaches great importance to the provision of health care services to the people of Zambia, anchored by its mission statement: ‘‘To provide equitable access to cost-effective, quality assured health services as close to the family as possible.’’
Acting Livingstone district health director Muchabona Manyaka has assured the community that the newly constructed maternity annex will be fully operational by April.
Dr Manyaka said her office will deploy 15 midwives to the facility.
“This has increased the number of health facilities that offer maternal services in the district,” she says.
Douglas Munkombwe is in charge at the health facility. He too is optimistic about the new facility at the clinic and is looking forward to the day it will be fully operational.
“It is equipped and good to go. It will definitely go a very long way in improving health care services in this community,” he says.