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Family and Reproductive Health (Zambia)

Zambian youth peer educators explain how to use condoms.
Zambian youth peer educators explain how to use condoms.

Despite efforts to reform the health care system and to improve access to services, Zambia struggles to keep up with the health care needs of its people – particularly in the face of the increased burden on the health system as a result of HIV/AIDS.  An estimated 17% of the adult population (15-49 years) is HIV-infected and young women between 15 and 24 years are six times more likely to be infected than young men of the same age.  While Zambia has shown some success in reducing HIV prevalence among young people, they are also struggling to control a climbing maternal mortality rate, now at 750 per 100,000 live births.  Sixty percent of young women aged 15-24 are already pregnant or mothers and contraceptive use is low.

The Zambia Family and Reproductive Health Project (ZFRHP) was introduced to improve the accessibility and quality of integrated reproductive health services and increase their utilization in 2 urban, 8 peri-urban and 5 rural areas of Zambia. The 5 year project (2001-2006) was fully supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Two Zambian non-governmental organizations: the Churches Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ) and Planned Parenthood Association of Zambia (PPAZ) implemented the project activities in the country.  Through PPAZ, new and innovative youth outreach programs were developed in peri-urban and rural sites near Lusaka and Kitwe.  CHAZ has strengthened and improved the clinical reproductive health services and outreach capacity of three of its church health institutions in rural Zambia.

Both organizations supported community-led initiatives to encourage the active participation of men, women and youth in improving the quality and delivery of RH services.  There was a special focus on encouraging men and youth to change risky behaviour and to increase their awareness of positive sexual and reproductive health.

Project activities included:

  • Training health service providers on reproductive health issues and skills, including gender issues, providing youth-friendly services, family planning, sexually transmitted infections, HIV counselling and testing, and post-abortion care.
  • Procurement and distribution of reproductive health supplies and equipment, and strengthening logistics management and referral systems.
  • Working with local community steering committees to identify and address reproductive health concerns.
  • Training Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) to provide assistance with deliveries, and pre-natal and post-natal care.
  • Training Community Based Distributors (CBDs) of contraceptives to provide education and counselling on family planning and STI prevention and contraceptive supplies.
  • Training youth Peer Educators (PEs) to provide information, counselling, and community health promotion activities to increase youth awareness about issues of sexuality and protection from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
  • Strengthening outreach and clinical services for youth.
  • Increasing community awareness of reproductive health issues and strengthening community leadership through workshops and outreach activities.

Through the project, CPHA has also encouraged the development of mentoring relationships between organizations and individuals to share experiences and lessons learned and to enhance the quality of services at all levels.


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