Our partnership with Healthy Kids/Brighter Future

In Zambia, although 90% of children register for school, almost half drop out before completing grade 7, and a third regularly suffer from repeated illness and stunting that disrupts their learning and development. School absence because of illness is a major problem, and as many as 40% of Lusaka’s poorest children regularly suffer from treatable illnesses. Healthcare is available and free, but mistrust of government clinics, failure of parents to know when their children are sick, and a host of other issues work to the detriment of children’s health.

We partnered with Healthy Kids/Brighter Future to improve the way communities care for children through integrated school health. Our partnership aided in the implementation of school-based healthcare at two government primary schools in the Mandevu community of Lusaka to serve more than 5,000 children. Teachers were trained as School Health Workers (SHWs) to actively monitor and respond to children’s health needs, and facility staff were trained as mentors to provide technical support to SHWs. This program brings school administrators, clinic professionals, and community leaders together to make school children’s health as a priority. The result: better health for children, improved school outcomes, and better monitoring of children’s wellbeing.