Communities Without Borders

The Village of Simukanka Health Clinic

In 2005 a Communities Without Borders (CWB) group of travelers from the USA visited the rural village of Simukanka, south of Lusaka, about 3 hours from Livingstone. During that visit the travelers met in small groups with men and women of the village to assess their needs. Whereas we originally thought they might want help with a feeding program in the schools, since there were severe shortages, the need mentioned by everyone was for a health clinic and a health worker. Their only health care was from a health care worker who came once or twice a month and there was only a tiny hut with a cement slab to see patients and deliver babies. Many people had died because of lack of care since the closest clinic was miles away with no easy transport.

Though this was beyond the capacity and mission of CWB at the time, over $35,000 was raised with CWB's blessing through individual solicitations to build a clinic and a health care worker house. The Simukanka community formed a village council with half men and half women, to oversee the planning and building of the clinic and to make all decisions regarding the clinic. The village residents were intimately involved in the building of the clinic, making and transferring 40,000 bricks to the building site. The health care workers house was finished in 2007 and the clinic in 2009.

In 2007 CWB visitors helped the community volunteers transport some of the health clinic bricks to the site and worked on building the foundation for the clinic. They also provided 200 bednets to protect against malaria. These bednets were distributed to pregnant women and mothers of children under five years old who are most at risk. In the previous year six children had died from malaria. Later the village council tabulated the additional number of households that required bednets. CWB arranged for 500 more bednets, which allowed every household to be protected.

There is now a full time health care worker, Mrs. Motongo, who is a wonderful, warm extremely competent midwife and clinical worker. She also has an assistant. Their salaries are provided by the government.

Since the opening of the clinic in 2009, they have seen over 6000 patients, administered vaccinations, treated malaria, delivered many many babies, seen AIDS patients for their medication and treated many other illnesses. It is a beautiful welcoming clinic that is provided much needed medical services for the village of 5000 and surrounding communities.

CWB is now supporting the clinic through a group called Friends of Simukanka, which is a collection of individuals who commit to at least $100 support a year for the clinic and for the school of the community. Anyone is invited to be a friend of Simukanka. For more information please go to the contact page and send a note to Brita Gill-Austern saying you want more information about becoming a friend of Simukanka.