{"id":21820,"date":"2021-09-16T14:00:03","date_gmt":"2021-09-16T14:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adra.org\/?p=21820"},"modified":"2026-03-23T20:50:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T20:50:29","slug":"news-release-adra-looks-to-c-l-o-s-e-covid-19-awareness-gap-in-zambia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adra.org\/de\/news-release-adra-looks-to-c-l-o-s-e-covid-19-awareness-gap-in-zambia","title":{"rendered":"Pressemitteilung: ADRA setzt auf \u201cC.L.O.S.E.\u201d COVID-19-Bewusstseinsl\u00fccke in Sambia"},"content":{"rendered":"

International humanitarian agency aims to tackle behavior change to prevent the coronavirus from spreading<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(ZAMBIA) September 16, 2021 \u2013 The COVID-19 pandemic has become a compounding challenge in the country of Zambia, with a population of 18.3 million people, according to findings from the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost people live in slum-like locations with zero to minimal basic services due to poor water supply, sanitation facilities, and hygienic practices,\u201d says Kennedy Habasimbi, country director for ADRA in Zambia. \u201cZambia has also experienced economic challenges exasperated by the pandemic, forcing people who can\u2019t afford to stay home to work in high-risk conditions, such as congested and unsanitary marketplaces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Zambia is a land-locked nation in south-central Africa of rugged terrain and diverse wildlife, with many parks, marketplaces, and safari areas.<\/em> Photo credit: Kennedy Habasimbi<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Habasimbi says that street vendors can be spotted selling vegetables and fruits without wearing masks or washing their hands before serving customers. Additionally, pedestrians waiting at bus stations are seen not wearing face masks correctly nor maintaining a six feet distance as recommended by the World Health Organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habasimbi adds only 30 percent of the Lusaka population, one of the areas ADRA is responding, has access to piped and treated water, for others who don\u2019t have this access, they must depend on boreholes and shallow wells. In the past, lack of access to clean water and basic amenities has caused fatal outbreaks of cholera, typhoid, and waterborne diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom our previous COVID-19 assessments, we found that 72 percent of peri-urban populations think that the virus affects the wealthy, the elderly and people who are already sick,\u201d Habasimbi says. \u201cSuch views unfortunately are a barrier to preventive measures and put many people at risk during this health crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habasimbi says that despite the local government\u2019s aid to create awareness, a majority of the population think that COVID-19 is not real, and life goes on as usual. Vaccines have been made available, but due to disinformation and conspiracy theories, only 50,000 doses out of 18 million were administered. Rates of vaccinations have improved and since August, more than 560,000 doses were administered according to Zambia\u2019s Ministry of Health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since March 2020, ADRA has been working closely with local authorities, local Adventist ministries, and agencies to raise the profile about hygiene and water supply provision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the time, the communication was one-sided; people were just given information without being given opportunities for feedback,\u201d Habasimbi says. \u201cThe strategy now locally called \u2018COVID-19 Lusaka Operation Serve Everyone Project\u2019, or C.L.O.S.E., is to include engagement with community leadership to set standards of equity and transparency among communities most at-risk for COVID-19.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ADRA in Zambia intends to maintain existing partnerships while creating new ones, including forming alliances with community influencers and other faith-based agencies to help address COVID-19 disinformation and prevention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ADRA worker demonstrates the proper use of a hand-sanitizer.
Photo credit: Kennedy Habasimbi<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cADRA will work with local Adventist youth and women ministries and health departments to train nearly 100 volunteers. These volunteers will then work with community partners, Zambia\u2019s Ministry of Health, and community partners, to conduct inclusive \u2018community-led risk reduction activities\u2019 to counter myths about COVID-19 and vaccines,\u201d says Habasimbi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further assessments by ADRA indicated that women were the most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zambia. They were responsible for fetching water, in some cases were the breadwinners, had to nurse the sick and children, and handle chores that exposed them to unsanitary conditions in the marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the support of the local Adventist church\u2019s women ministries and health departments, people who are most vulnerable in addition will receive information on how to grow nutritious gardens in their backyards and raise small livestock to obtain food for their household and generate income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ADRA also plans to work on several key projects in Zambia, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n