PREVIOUS INITIATIVES
CHIBOLYA HOSPITAL
BEFORE: A COMMUNITY MILES FROM HELP
Chibolya (pronounced Chay-warrior) is a komboni-style township — an informal urban slum in Lusaka, Zambia — home to over 35,000 people. For years, it struggled with extreme poverty, gang violence, and a total absence of healthcare. Police could not enter in uniform without being bashed to death, and vehicles would be vandalised or destroyed 100m in. The nearest medical facility was over 11km away, and with most residents unable to afford or access transport, they were forced to walk for hours while seriously ill or in labour. The maternal mortality rate stood at 30%, and access to even basic health care was almost non-existent.
HOW WE HELPED: BUILDING HEALTH FROM THE GROUND UP
Together with our local partner Jacob, we helped establish the first ever medical facility in the area: Chiyembekezo Mission Clinic - with “Chiyembekezo” translating to “hope”. We provided startup support and funded a $10,000 ultrasound machine through a non-recourse chattel lease, allowing the clinic to generate income while staying sustainable. Services were made affordable at just $7 per scan (the average monthly income Is around $70), enabling the clinic to grow and reinvest in essential medications not supplied by the government, such as antibiotics and pain relievers.
Importantly, the clinic doesn’t just treat—it teaches. It offers family planning education, helping individuals understand how limiting family size can dramatically improve the well-being of both parents and children. This simple but powerful knowledge helps break the cycle of poverty by enabling families to better care for fewer children.
THE IMPACT: THE CLINIC BECOMES A SELF-RELIANT REGISTERED HOSPITAL
The impact was extraordinary. The clinic fully repaid the equipment lease and tripled its revenue, becoming financially self-sustaining. It is now officially recognised as a registered hospital - a first for a community once dismissed as lawless and ungovernable. Maternal outcomes have dramatically improved: no woman who has access the ultrasound service has died in childbirth. HIV transmission from parent to child has been eliminated - not just reduced. All children under five now receive standard immunisations against TB, as well as hepatitis A and B.
Perhaps most telling is the shift in safety. Once so dangerous that even police avoided entry, Chibolya is now peaceful enough that even a white tourist could walk through safely. Community trust has grown, and healthcare is no longer a distant dream - it’s a reality. What was once an overlooked and overwhelmed neighbourhood is now a place of dignity, stability, and hope.
