Healthy Learners

A sincere thank you to the Mayor, Councillors, and management of Ndola City Council for the opportunity to engage and share about the government School Health Programme. Thank you for your interest and collaboration as we work together to ensure learners in the city of Ndola have access to care through health rooms in schools.

Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development-Zambia

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗻

The bi-annual deworming exercise under the School Health Programme is now underway across implementation districts.

This routine intervention plays an important role in protecting learners from parasitic infections that can affect their health, attendance, and ability to concentrate in class. Keeping learners healthy supports consistent learning and better performance in school.

Through the School Health Programme, deworming tablets are able to reach learners directly in schools, efficiently and at scale. What could otherwise be difficult to access becomes part of a structured system that delivers care where learners already are.

With school health teachers leading implementation and strong coordination with health facilities, this exercise continues to demonstrate how the programme connects health services to learners practically and reliably.

𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Thank you, Chongwe Secondary School -CSS for the pictures.

As the old proverb, “𝗜𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗶 𝗶𝗸𝘂𝗹𝗮, 𝗲 𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗮,” teaches us, a nation grows through its young people. Through the School Health Programme, learners have the opportunity to stay healthy, learn, and reach their full potential.

𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗮𝘆, 𝗭𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗮.✨

𝗧𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗨𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀

Some of the most important work in the 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲 happens quietly.

A teacher taking time after class to talk about hygiene.
A health worker receiving a learner referred from school.
A conversation that helps a child get the care they need.

This 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆, we recognise the many School Health Teachers and Health facility workers, most of them women, who make this possible every day.

The 2026 theme, “𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗮𝗶𝗻,” reflects what they do so naturally.
They give their time, their patience, their knowledge, and their care.

And because of that, learners gain 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱.

Today, we celebrate the women who quietly keep learners healthy.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻

As 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆 approaches, Healthy Learners would like to take a moment to celebrate the women who power our mission.

Across our organisation, women are helping drive the success of the 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲, supporting teachers, working alongside government partners, and strengthening systems that ensure learners can access health services in school.

The 2026 theme, “𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗮𝗶𝗻,” speaks directly to this work. Every day, the women of Healthy Learners give their time, expertise, leadership, and commitment to improving child health and education.

In doing so, they help communities gain healthier learners, stronger schools, and a more productive future generation.

To the women of Healthy Learners: 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽, 𝗱𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆.

We have supported the Ministry of Education with 17 motorbikes in the first phase of strengthening district-level oversight of the government school health programme.

As the programme expands, mobility at district level remains essential to quality assurance and sustained implementation. A second phase will cover additional districts.

Full details in the Times of Zambia article below.

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗹𝘆 𝗔𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀

Yesterday, Healthy Learners signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, formally strengthening the place of School Health within local government systems.

For years, Local Authorities have supported monitoring, construction, and coordination of health rooms. This MoU brings structure to that collaboration. It aligns planning. It clarifies roles. It strengthens accountability.

Most importantly, it reinforces that school health is not a project, it is part of how public systems serve learners. When health rooms are embedded within council planning, district coordination, and constituency development processes, they become sustainable. They become protected. They become expected.

Yesterday’s signing ensures that growth is anchored in the systems that will carry it forward, as the government school health programme continues to grow.

Healthy Learners remains committed to supporting government systems to deliver accessible, school-based health services at scale.

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development-Zambia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Healthy Learners to integrate standardized health rooms into school infrastructure under the School Health Programme.

With over 7,000 teachers trained and nearly 1.2 million learners reached across all ten provinces, the programme now targets 3 million learners by 2028, requiring 2,000 health rooms and 15,000 trained teachers.

The Presidential Delivery Unit was represented at the signing by Acting Delivery Manager for Enhanced Public Services, Ms. Chitambeya Mvula-Mukwangole, on behalf of Head of Unit Ms. Kusobile Kamwambi, a clear signal of solidarity with reforms that strengthen coordinated service delivery.

The initiative reinforces the broader delivery agenda under the leadership of President Hakainde Hichilema, creating a conducive environment for development partners and the private sector to collaborate in showing care, love and measurable results for the people.

More remains to be done, and it shall be delivered