…People-centred NGO implements programmes to supplement government efforts
DEVELOPMENT Aid from People to People has over the years evolved from tree planting to a clothes-based organisation to one of the biggest socio-economic development players in the country, impacting over one million lives annually.
The people-oriented Non-governmental organisation retains its flagship programme on secondhand clothes and shoes but has diversified into agriculture, education and health sectors, where it has exponentially transformed people’s lives since its establishment in 1986.
With a workforce of 2,595 employees and over 3,000 volunteers, DAPP has still retained salaula as one of the fundraising arms to support its programmes.
It is implementing programmes in 86 districts in the 10 provinces, one of the biggest and most widespread NGOs in the country.
Anne Dorte Hoejrup is the Senior Partnership Director for DAPP.
Anne Dorte explains some of the projects DAPP is undertaking in the health sector to complement efforts of the Ministry of Health and ultimately help Zambia attain Sustainable Development Goal number three (SDG 3): ‘Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.’
The SDG declaration emphasises that to achieve the overall health goal, ‘we must achieve universal health coverage and access to quality health care. No one must be left behind’.
Among the projects include the ‘Total control of the epidemic’, a project which is youth-led and focused, which works in the communities of 475 health facility catchment areas in 40 districts.
It aims to empower people at-risk (amongst adolescents, youth, young men and women) to take control of their own health by making informed decisions to reduce their vulnerability to HIV/ AIDS, decide to know their HIV status and start treatment if HIV positive.
“Only the people can liberate themselves from malaria” is our slogan, Anne Dorte says.
She says because people must take responsibility for own health – act, get diagnosed, take treatment, get support and support others.
DAPP works hand-in-hand with the public health system and complements national health strategies.
It has established community structures involved in health activities.
“People are involved to find community solutions… that’s our approach,” Anne Dorte says.
It encourages community dialogue meetings which are open societal behavioural change.
Anne Dorte says DAPP also encourages communities to form their own structures which play a critical role in the TRIO.
A TRIO is formed by People Living with HIV (PLHIV), new on treatment, who request two persons living near them to be their ‘buddy’ on the journey to start on ART.
The PLHIV and buddies will have an orientation from the field officer. They will take shifts to see the person take the treatment daily, if adherence is a problem, give psychosocial support, encourage to seek help at health facility if the treatment gives side effects, and encourage healthy living.
The advantage is the PLHIV disclose their status to the buddies, and the buddies can help them to disclose to the spouse.
There are also a number of staff and Community Based Volunteers –participatory meetings for sharing of best practices.
Field officers and community health workers hold weekly planning meetings.
DAPP is also implementing the Sungani Bana Initiative which seeks to improve health among children and adolescents living with HIV from birth to 19, through individual child centred case management.
Anne Dorte says Sungani Bana was developed and funded by Centre for Disease Control Zambia and DAPP has been partnering with the Ministry of Health to implement the initiative across Southern, Lusaka, Western and Eastern provinces.
There is a Child AID OVC programme running in Eastern and Western provinces. DAPP OVC has worked with the health offices in five districts of Western Province since 2021 to improve the health and welfare of children living with and, or affected by HIV.
In October 2023, DAPP extended its services to three districts of Eastern Province.
“The programme is in sixth year now. Eastern and Western are regions funded by CDC. DAPP started the OVC programme in Western Province, while OVC in Eastern Province was started by another organisation and handed over to DAPP two years ago,” Anne Dorte said.
DAPP is also running a Child AID Wash North Western Province, a WASH project in Kalumbila, Mwinilunga and Kasempa districts of North Western Province to improve the welfare of communities through water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions addressing the huge water and sanitation challenges that lead to high incidence of waterborne diseases, resulting in under five child mortality as well as school absenteeism.
In 2023, DAPP focused on community response, denouncing open defecation, encouraging hand wash and improving sanitation infrastructure reaching 6,135 members.
DAPP’s approach to health is rooted in communities.
Concerned by the prevalence of Tuberculosis in correctional facilities, DAPP has begun making interventions through the Total Control of Tuberculosis (TC-TB) in two correctional facilities in Eastern Province.
Fredrick Mabele, the DAPP Projects Coordinator said the TC-TB programme is designed to model a right- based and people centred approach to TB in a prison setting.
This project, initiated at Namuseche Correction Facility in Chipata District and now spread to Katete, places the responsibility of TB mitigation and control on the affected population such as inmates and correctional facilities staff.
Mabele said the programme is self-driven model utilising readily available resources to sustain TB responses with partners to advocate for improved conditions and human rights for TB in Correctional Facilities.
He said the DAPP TB Model for the Correctional Facility Community is about consistent case finding as well as supporting scheduled screening actions, lobbying for improved TB diagnosis, support collection and transportation of sputum samples for TB.
It also involves early initiation on TB treatment and consistent drug supply as well as support facility drug supply process (such as early request, transport) and distribution to inmates, improve uptake of tuberculosis preventive treatment (TPT), care, support and infection control.
Mabele says the programme supplements nutrition for inmates and gardening as well as support inmate counselling.
“Nutrition supplements increase uptake and adherence for inmates on TB treatment. The Katete facility showed that in the year prior to project intervention, almost 75 percent of inmates on treatment defaulted at some point. From the start of the project intervention, the facility has recorded 100 percent adherence and completion,” he said.
In Lusaka, DAPP is implementing the TB Reach Project for the total control of the disease in Chawama, Mandevu and Matero constituencies.
The TB Reach Project has the mandate of ensuring that to ensure case finding and case management tasks for children are completed across different service providers.
TB Project Manager Ackim Mwale says the project has demonstrated the big potential of a community and person centred approach to find the missing people early with TB or need for TPT.
DAPP has also enrolled Zambia on the OneImpact Community Led Monitoring programme, a digital platform to enable TB patients interact with service providers.
Charles Phiri, the Monitoring and Evaluation Manager says the successful pilot of OneImpact in Tajikistan led to demand, and implementation of OneImpact CLM in additional countries.
Mr Phiri says OneImpact digital tool will help in strengthening existing CLM efforts in the country instead of re-inventing a new process.
By Benedict Tembo
Kalemba December 6, 2024