New Maternity Annex Now Open to the Public in the Catholic Diocese of Mongu, Zambia

Handover of maternity annex

By Sifuwe Mwangala
Mongu, Zambia  March 27

The Catholic Diocese of Mongu has constructed a maternity annex worth about 60, 000 USD at Nalwei Rural Health Centre in Mongu District that it has handed over to government.

Western Province Public Health Specialist Dr. Jacob Sakala received the maternity annex on behalf of government.

Speaking at the handover ceremony in Nalwei today, Dr. Sakala thanked the Catholic Church for supplementing government efforts in reducing maternal mortality by bringing health services closer to the community.

Dr. Sakala said the facility that will serve a population of about 8, 000 people is in line with Government’s policy of ensuring that no one dies during and after giving birth.

He has since called on the people of Nalwei who are the main beneficiaries of the maternity annex to guard it jealously for its sustainability.

The maternity annex that is powered by a solar system, also has a water tank.

And handing over the facility after blessing it, Mongu Diocese Bishop Evans Chinyemba-Oblate of Mary Immaculate (OMI) said the idea of constructing the maternity annex was arrived at after the then Parish Priest Father Pat Cashin saw the need of having the facility in Nalwei.

Bishop Chinyemba said the Church is in support of government’s initiative to have a conducive environment where women safely give birth, hence donors and well-wishers thought of putting resources together for the annex to be constructed.

The Bishop has since thanked government for always being available to give guidance whenever it is needed, saying projects become successful when people work together.

A female local resident, Masozi Ndandula also thanked Government and the Catholic Church for coming to the aid of the women of Nalwei who used to travel long distances to access maternity services, adding that other mothers used to give birth at homes and under trees.

Also attending the ceremony were, Parish Priest for St Peter the Rock , Fr. Patrick Fumbelo, the Pastoral Coordinator , Fr. Peter Kashina, Fr. Wilfred Hodari and Religious sisters.

Latest News and Local Produce From a Neighborhood Farmer

3PH In the News

Last month I had an epic experience making my way over to Adams Morgan neighborhood in Washington, DC  to do an interview with the amazing team at Pineapple Media. Ariel and Atara went above and beyond to give me a warm welcome to their space at Full Service Radio, and the time just went by in the blink of an eye. Click here to listen to the podcast.  

On next Wed March 13 from 6:30-8:00 pm, I will join Carrie Cochran Vaughn (Clagett Farm) on another Pineapple Media podcast. We will dive into all things CSA, discussing CSA crop planning, considerations at different farming scales, farming in & out of the city, why some members demand rutabaga & others shun it, and more! 

Listen to the conversation here: zoom.us/j/472833347

And check out this interview I did last fall with The Groundwork Podcast. To be honest, my favorite thing about doing these interviews (besides getting to know the amazing hosts!) is getting to listen to all of the other episodes and learn about fabulous folks in the food and farming community.

What our Region Grows

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) has released "What Our Region Grows," a unique report examining food production and farming throughout the metropolitan region. Download the report here.

If you are local to Washington, DC please sign up for our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

Please click on the link for info about this year's CSA to sign up today. 2019 will not be the same as 2018, I can guarantee that. First of all, we have magicians to make sure we get an average amount of rainfall this year. Ok- just kidding we can't do that. But we do have 2 new drop offs, we added a few weeks to the season at our main location (in the Shaw neighborhood), and all of the porch picks ups will start an hour earlier. PLUS: we are adding three new crops to our plan and more space for the veggies that made the top 10 in our end of year survey.

VISIT THREE PART HARMONY'S WEBSITE TO READ MORE ABOUT THE FARM: http://threepartharmonyfarm.org/