The DAPP Zambia ZAMFAM Project Launch & Progress

The Zambia Family (ZAMFAM) project was launched on 20th January in Lusaka’s Bwafwano

Community Hall were, DAPP will work with 125,000 Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC)

each year to support the HIV epidemic control through this project.

To ensure there is an increase in household resilience, improved health, education,

protection and

care for the

OVC, DAPP

project staff

will move into

targeted

communities,

work shoulder

to shoulder

with the

children, the

care givers,

and families.

Activities to increase resilience will include training individuals and families to carry out

climate smart and productive farming methods, linking them to markets and agro dealers,

establish and mentor saving groups to mention but a few.

Health activities will include HIV testing campaigns to promote each and every person –

adult and child – knowing ones status. Improving education will include block grants to

schools, bursaries to vulnerable children, training of peer educators and establishment of

kid and youth clubs in the schools.

The beneficiaries will be organized in action groups, youth clubs and support groups for

PLHIV for them to mutually support each other, support each other through running a

revolving loan program, carry out study circles, establish links as a group to private sector

etc.

The first phase of implementation on the ZAMFAM project recorded success. Deployment

and orientation of key ZAMFAM project was done underwent orientation both from the

partnership and head office personnel, this facilitated them to understand the project’s host

organization’s policies and standard operating procedures. The key personnel included; the

Project Director, Deputy Project Director, M&E Specialist and the Community Mobilization

Specialist.

Further, 61 project leaders were identified (17 females and 43 males) from other DAPP

projects to work on the ZAMFAM South Central project. A start up training was organised to

ensure a smooth beginning of implementation in the field. Prior to conducting the training,

7 district coordinators (3 female and 4 male) underwent a 2 weeks orientation as trainers.

The 7 coordinators collaborated with the Community Mobilization Specialist, one staff from

Humana People to People (HPP) to prepare the 4 weeks training program and a start up

manual to be delivered to the field staff during the start up training.

Later, the trained Project Leaders began a four week training program with the major areas

of focus being; describing activities to be implemented in the first 18 months of the

program. They were also taken through the tools that were developed to be used in the

field. The training program content included: understanding the OVCs; introduction to the

ZAMFAM program; the organization of the project and its people; project elements and

goals; and community mobilization skills, among others.

All the meetings held with stakeholders and implementing partners went on well, with both

the government line ministries and NGOs pledging their support to and willingness to work

with ZAMFAM. Despite, the implementation of ZAMFAM project starting on a good note

more needs to be done in order to achieve intended objectives as planned.