HIFA-Zambia
Download the HIFA-Zambia flyer
Download the HIFA-Zambia Press Release 12th April 2011
HIFA-Zambia was launched on 5 May 2011, at the Zambia-UK Health Workforce Alliance annual meeting at the British Medical Association, London, UK.
HIFA-Zambia is the only global e-mail forum on health issues in Zambia. It aims to raise awareness and share best practice on health issues and initiatives in Zambia. The intended audience of HIFA-Zambia are all individuals, from anywhere around the world, who work and/or contribute to and/or are interested in health issues and initiatives in Zambia.
Why HIFA-Zambia?
We need HIFA-Zambia for at least 3 reasons:
1. There is no alternative global e-mail forum on health in Zambia. An e-mail forum is a cost-effective way of increasing awareness of health policy in Zambia, enabling dialogue and the sharing of best practice. It is also expected to add value to face-to-face meetings or conferences on Zambian health issues in Zambia and around the world.
2. The member organisations of the Zambia-UK Health Workforce Alliance and other organisations working on health in Zambia, have repeatedly expressed the need for a communications platform to discuss and raise awareness of health issues and initiatives in Zambia in order to increase effectiveness and efficiency.
3. HIFA2015 is a global-level network and based on some of the forum’s discussions and topics, have identified that there is increasing demand to explore more in-depth networking of this type at a country level.
Also, in line with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action, the diversity and large number of health initiatives in Zambia supported by bilateral, multilateral, national Civil Society Organisations or International NGOs, creates need for coordination and harmonising in order to facilitate the accountability of all those involved on health in Zambia.
HIFA-Zambia aims to bring together all organisations and individuals worldwide with an interest in health in Zambia.
How will it work?
HIFA-Zambia is administered jointly by the Zambia-UK Health Workforce Alliance and the Global Healthcare Information Network/HIFA2015. HIFA-Zambia and HIFA2015 work in the following ways:
1. HIFA-Zambia contributes to efforts to raise awareness on health issues and initiatives in Zambia, in line with the Zambia UK Health Workforce Alliance’s vision, as well as contributing towards the HIFA2015 goal of health information for all by 2015.
2. HIFA-Zambia and HIFA2015 share a common methodology (Reader-Focused Moderation) and email platform (Dgroups)
3. The co-moderator of HIFA-Zambia, Vanessa Halipi, liaises with the moderators of other HIFA Global Networks: HIFA2015, CHILD2015, HIFA-Portuguese and HIFA-EVIPNet.
4. We aim to establish a HIFA-Zambia Working Group in parallel (and linking) with the existing HIFA2015 Steering Group.
5. HIFA-Zambia has its own email discussion platform.
HIFA networks in other countries
HIFA-Zambia is the first country-level e-mail network associated with HIFA2015. HIFA2015 aims to adapt and replicate the approach in other countries.
Zambia UK Health Workforce Alliance
The Zambia UK Health Workforce Alliance is a growing network of Zambian-based and UK-based organisations. They work together to promote and improve the coordination and impact of Zambia-UK joint work in health. The Alliance’s aim is to support the Government of the Republic of Zambia to implement its plans to increase and develop its health workforce and its health systems. The Alliance was launched in 11th June 2009 in London, UK. There over 40 member organisations.
For further information please feel free to contact us.
Vanessa Halipi, Coordinator, HIFA-Zambia
Neil Pakenham-Walsh, Coordinator, HIFA2015
“I would like to sincerely extend my heartfelt thanks to HIFA-Zambia, Mr Andrew Walker and Mrs Glenda Mulenga Sight Savers of Zambia for the overwhelming service that happened in less than two weeks. Through Mr Andrew Walker emailing HIFA members about the twinning of Swindon and Livingstone, Mrs Glenda Mulenga initiated the cordination of sight activities in our area in Mpongwe through the Ndola hub at Ndola Central Hospital. The Ndola team travelled to Mumba Day care centre in Mpongwe which is over 100 kilometers on Tuesday the 8th of May I am pleased to say 98 people were examined, several had eye infections, sight challenges and 5 with more serious eye problems were taken to Ndola central hospital on Tuesday itself, were operated on on Wednesday, rested on Thursday and were driven back to Mpongwe with sight restored and medication supplied!”
Hildah Mulenga, National Director, Mumba Children’s Project and Mumba Day Care Centre, Mpongwe, Zambia
