This International Nurses Day, GAIA is thrilled to announce the launch of the Health Workforce Program in Zambia! This initiative will improve health outcomes and access to quality, specialized care in Zambia through the provision of nursing scholarships and fellowships. 

We are proud to partner with the Lusaka College of Nursing (LUCON) to provide comprehensive scholarships to diploma-level nurses pursuing advanced diploma in midwifery, and with the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to deploy licensed nurse-midwives at high-burden medical facilities. 

Zambia has 19 nurses per 10,000 people, compared to 50 in South Africa and 157 in the U.S. Along with the low nurse-to-patient ratio, there is a shortage of skilled personnel in many health facilities, and many newly-credentialed midwives remain idle due to delayed deployment. GAIA’s scholarships and fellowships programs will address these critical gaps. 

The team from GAIA Malawi – Nelson Khozomba (Programs Manager) and Lucy Munthali (Deputy Programs Manager) – had a wonderful visit to Zambia at the end of 2024, where they met with our new partners and discussed the implementation of the exciting new initiative aimed at enhancing nursing and midwifery education, and deploying skilled healthcare professionals to high-need areas. 

Following a comprehensive recruitment process led by LUCON, a cohort of 15 students were identified to participate in GAIA’s Nursing Scholars Program. The scholars commenced their studies in February 2025, and will be supported for the entire three-semester duration of their midwifery upgrading program. 

A cohort of 10 nurse-midwives were also recruited in February by CRS to partake in GAIA’s Nursing Fellows Program. Over a 13-month period, these fellows will be deployed at five high-burden medical facilities across four districts. Their deployment strengthens the delivery of Maternal Newborn and Child Health services in Zambia by filling the gap in qualified nurse-midwives. To further improve the quality of care provided by fellows, GAIA’s Nursing Fellows Program integrates tailored, in-service training. In April, fellows participated in a training on Emergency Obstetrics and Newborn Care. The week-long training provided them with the knowledge and skills to address life-threatening complications during pregnancy and childbirth, which will reduce maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity.

We are excited to expand into a new country as part of our strategic plan and look forward to the new partnerships and the positive impact we will make in neighboring Zambia! We are grateful to the Health Carousel Foundation for making this important work possible. 

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