SPEECH FOR DISTRICT COMMISSIONER MR. PATRICK KABENDELEAT HAND OVER OF FURNITURE TO THE GBV CENTER, MTENDERE MISSION HOSPITAL
- NETHERLANDS RED CROSS OPERATIONS DELEGATE – MS. GLORIA KUNYENGA
- ZAMBIA RED CROSS SOCIETY CHIRUNDU BRANCH PRESIDENT MR MUNSANJE & VOLUNTEERS PRESENT HERE TODAY
- ZAMBIA RED CROSS SOCIETY HEALTH & CARE MANAGER – MS. RUTH ASAILE
- CHIRUNDU DISTRICT HEALTH DIRECTOR DR.LUHANGA
- THE ACTING DIRECTOR MTENDERE MISSION HOSPITAL & ITS STAFF
- DEBS REPRESENTATIVE
- REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE VICTIM SUPPORT UNIT
- REPRESENTATIVE FROM SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT
- MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA
- LADIES & GENTLEMEN
IN 2022 AN ASSESSMENT WAS CONDUCTED TO PROVIDE BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON GBV ISSUES, POLICIES, PROGRAMMING, AND GAPS IN ZAMBIA, FOR THE PURPOSE OF ASSISTING THE WORLD BANK (WB) IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
A) CONSIDERING HOW TO DIRECTLY SUPPORT EFFORTS TO ADDRESS GBV IN ZAMBIA.
B) INFORMING STRATEGIES FOR INTEGRATING ATTENTION TO GBV IN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMING; AND
C) UNDERSTANDING THE EXTENT OF EXISTING GBV RESPONSE AND PREVENTION PROGRAMMING.
IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING AN OVERVIEW OF DATA ON THE SCOPE OF GBV IN ZAMBIA, THE ASSESSMENT INVESTIGATED LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY PROTECTIONS RELATED TO GBV; SYSTEMS AND COORDINATION MECHANISMS IN PLACE FOR ADDRESSING GBV IN ZAMBIA; AND GBV RESPONSE AND PREVENTION PROGRAMMING. BASED ON INPUT FROM KEY STAKEHOLDERS. THE ASSESSMENT IDENTIFIED AND ANALYZED KEY GAPS ACROSS THESE AREAS AND CONCLUDED WITH SEVERAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE WB TO CONSIDER IN ORDER TO ASSIST IN ADDRESSING THEM.
AMONGST THE NUMEROUS GAPS IDENTIFIED WAS THE POOR ENFORCEMENT OF LAWS AND ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES FOR OPERATIONALIZING GBV LEGAL PROVISIONS.
WE ARE HERE TODAY TO TESTIFY HOW IMPORTANT IT IS THAT INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND PUBLIC AUTHORITIES SHOULD BE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER. I SAY THIS IN LINE WITH THE SUPPORT THAT ZAMBIA RED CROSS SOCIETY, WITH FUNDING SUPPORT FROM NETHERLANDS RED CROSS SOCIETY, DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, IDENTIFIED THE NEED TO COME ON BOARD TO FILL A GAP THAT EXISTED IN THE AREA OF GENDER BASED VIOLENCE.
ZAMBIA RED CROSS SOCIETY THEREFORE TOOK THE INITIATIVE TO RESUSCITATE OR REVAMP, THE ONE STOP CENTRE, BY PROVIDING HUMAN RESOURCE THAT HAS BEEN GOING AROUND THE DISTRICT TO SENSITISE THE COMMUNITIES ON THE NEGATIVE VICES OF GBV AND THE SOLUTIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE.
STATISTICS IN CHIRUNDU DISTRICT SHOW THAT THERE IS A HIGH INCIDENCE OF GENDER BASED VIOLENCE AND CHILD DEFILEMENT, WHICH SHOULD NOT BE THE CASE AS THIS IS DETRIMENTAL TO THE WELL BEING OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE COUNTRY. IF WE AS INDIVIDUALS CANNOT DEVELOP AND PROGRESS BY LOOKING AT THE WELL BEING OF EVERY ONE, HOW THEN DO WE EXPECT PRODUCTIVITY , IF THE VERY PERSONS WHO ARE KEY TO BRINGING PRODUCTIVITY ARE BEING PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY AND PHSYCOLOGICALLY, BEING ABUSED.
WE MUST BRING AN END TO GENDER BASED VIOLENCE, DEFILEMENT AND RAPE. THERE MUST BE ZERO TOLERANCE TO THIS VICE!
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IWANT TODAY TO SAY I AM EXTREMELY HAPPY THAT ZAMBIA RED CROSS SOCIETY HAS COME ON BOARD AS A PARTNER IN DEVELOPMENT. TODAY THEY HAVE DONATED FURNITURE TO THE ONE STOP CENTRE WHICH WILL ENHANCE THE PRODUCTIVITY OF THE ONE STOP CENTRE. THE FURNITURE ADDS TO AN ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR THOSE WHO ARE WORKING IN THE CENTRE.
TO NETHERLANDS RED CROSS SOCIETY, I ALSO WANT TO SAY THANKYOU FOR THE COMMITMENT AND SUPPORT THAT YOU EXHIBIT IN ENSURING THAT THE GAPS AND CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE IN THIS AREA ARE MET.
OUR APPEAL AND REQUEST IS THAT YOU EXTEND THIS SUPPORT. I AM TOLD THE PROJECT IS COMING TO A CLOSE. KINDLY CONSIDER EXTENDING, YOUR INTERVENTION WAS BUT A NOTABLE AND KEY START.
ONCE AGAIN I SAY THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU.
SPEECH FOR ZRCS HEALTH & CARE MANAGER MS. RUTH ASAILE
HAND OVER OF FURNITURE TO THE GBV ONE STOP CENTER AT MTENDERE MISSION HOSPITAL -06TH OJUNE 2023
- THE DISTRICT COMMISSIONER MR. PATRICK KABENDELE
- NETHERLANDS RED CROSS OPERATIONS DELEGATE – MS. GLORIA KUNYENGA
- ZAMBIA RED CROSS SOCIETY CHIRUNDU BRANCH PRESIDENT MR MUNSANJE & VOLUNTEERS PRESENT HERE TODAY
- CHIRUNDU DISTRICT HEALTH DIRECTOR MR.
- THE ACTING DIRECTOR MTENDERE MISSION HOSPITAL & ITS STAFF
- DEBS REPRESENTATIVE
- REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE VICTIM SUPPORT UNIT
- REPRESENTATIVE FROM SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT
- MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA
- LADIES & GENTLEMEN
IN EXECUTING OUR AUXILLIARY ROLE TO PUBLIC AUTHORITIES , ZAMBIA RED CROSS SOCIETY HAS PARTNERED WITH LOCAL AUTHORITES IN VARIOUS DISTRICTS IN THE COUNTRY FOR THE PURPOSES OF IMPLEMENTEING CERTAIN PROJECTS.
DURING THE ONSET OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, ZAMBIA RED CROSS SOCIETY CONDUCTED A NEEDS ASSESMENT OF HEALTH FACILITIES IN FOUR DISTRICTS NAMELY CHIRUNDU, SOLWEZI, KITWE & LIVINGSTONE AND IDENTIFIED THAT THE HEALTH FACULTIES AND INDEED STAFF THEMSELVES, WERE QUITE OVERWHELMED WITH THE NUMEROUS COVID-19 CASES THAT WERE BEING RECEIVED A THE HEALTH FACILITIES.
AS A RESULT OF THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT, WE IDENTIFIED THE NEED TO SPECIFICALLY SUPPORT THE HEALTH INSTITUTIONS IN THESE DISTRICTS WITH VARIOUS ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS. HERE IN CHIRUNDU WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONSTRUCT AN OUT PATIENTS BLOCK AND REHABILITATE A HAND PUMP INTO A SOLAR POWERED RETICULATION SYSTEM, IN CHIBENDE WARD. THE INTERVENTIONS ARE MANY THAT WE HAVE CONDUCTED, BUT TO ZERO IN TO WHY WE ARE HERE TODAY, OUR ABLE ZAMBIA RED CROSS SOCIETY VOLUNTEERS WORKING WITH THE DISTRICT HEALTH STAFF AND OTHER PARTNERS SUCH AS THE VICTIM SUPPORT UNIT, THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT. MTENDERE MISSION HOSPITAL, WERE ABLE TO IDNETIFY THE NEED FOR AND IMPORTANCE OF ACTUALISING THE ONE STOP GENDER BASED VIOLENCE CENTRE.
IN LIASING WITH THE AUTHORITES WE REALISED THAT THE ONE STOP CENTRE WAS THERE BUT LACKED, PERSONEL, FURNITURE AND THE TOOLS TO CONDUCT SENSITISATION AND AWARENESS SO THAT COMMUNITIES COULD BE INFORMED THAT THE ONE STOP CENTRE SERVICE WAS AVAILABLE.
AS SUCH ZAMBIA RED CROSS SOCIETY WITH THE SUPPORT OF FUNDING FROM NETHERLANDS RED CROSS SOCIETY, WAS ABLE TO COME IN AND OFFER A HELPING HAND.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
TODAY WE ARE HAPPY TO BE A PART OF THIS SUCCESS STORY
I THANK YOU.