Strengthening community health capacity in rural Zambia through targeted training of community-based volunteers
1
On Call Africa, Livingston, Zambia
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Strengthening health systems is a key strategy used by many non-governmental organisations, including On Call Africa (OCA), to improve health outcomes in rural settings. OCA applies its Facility Quality Improvement Programme (FQIP) tool to assess performance against the WHO Health System Building Blocks framework. At a rural health post in Southern Province, Zambia, this assessment identified gaps in record keeping, monitoring of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and community education on infectious diseases.
METHODS:
To address this, a team of volunteers delivered a three-month intervention (October–December 2025) focused on capacity building for community-based volunteers (CBVs). As CBVs are responsible for vital sign collection and community-level health promotion, they were identified as a key workforce for strengthening service delivery. Sixty-three CBVs in the local area were organised into smaller groups to facilitate learning. Four two-hour refresher sessions were delivered, supported by a 16-page training booklet covering vital sign recording, NCD awareness, and health promotion on diarrhoea, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and other priority conditions.
RESULTS:
Fifty-seven CBVs participated. Verbal feedback, collected by a Chitonga-speaking health facility staff member, indicated that training on temperature and blood pressure measurement was particularly valuable. Education on STI prevention and diarrhoea management was also well received, and participants reported improved confidence in delivering health promotion messages. Challenges included reliance on English-language materials and the need for real-time translation. Participants expressed strong interest in more frequent sessions and additional topics such as malaria and malnutrition to further strengthen community health capacity.
CONCLUSIONS:
The training programme was well received and contributed to strengthening CBV knowledge and community-level service delivery. Long-term health system strengthening will require transitioning facilitation to local staff and developing Chitonga-language materials to support sustainability, and improved comprehension. The programme demonstrates a practical model for community-led health system strengthening that can be adapted across comparable settings.
Strengthening health systems is a key strategy used by many non-governmental organisations, including On Call Africa (OCA), to improve health outcomes in rural settings. OCA applies its Facility Quality Improvement Programme (FQIP) tool to assess performance against the WHO Health System Building Blocks framework. At a rural health post in Southern Province, Zambia, this assessment identified gaps in record keeping, monitoring of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and community education on infectious diseases.
METHODS:
To address this, a team of volunteers delivered a three-month intervention (October–December 2025) focused on capacity building for community-based volunteers (CBVs). As CBVs are responsible for vital sign collection and community-level health promotion, they were identified as a key workforce for strengthening service delivery. Sixty-three CBVs in the local area were organised into smaller groups to facilitate learning. Four two-hour refresher sessions were delivered, supported by a 16-page training booklet covering vital sign recording, NCD awareness, and health promotion on diarrhoea, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and other priority conditions.
RESULTS:
Fifty-seven CBVs participated. Verbal feedback, collected by a Chitonga-speaking health facility staff member, indicated that training on temperature and blood pressure measurement was particularly valuable. Education on STI prevention and diarrhoea management was also well received, and participants reported improved confidence in delivering health promotion messages. Challenges included reliance on English-language materials and the need for real-time translation. Participants expressed strong interest in more frequent sessions and additional topics such as malaria and malnutrition to further strengthen community health capacity.
CONCLUSIONS:
The training programme was well received and contributed to strengthening CBV knowledge and community-level service delivery. Long-term health system strengthening will require transitioning facilitation to local staff and developing Chitonga-language materials to support sustainability, and improved comprehension. The programme demonstrates a practical model for community-led health system strengthening that can be adapted across comparable settings.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
