Summary
Introduction to My Zambia, My Responsibility that outlines the goals of the 4-week training and the background.
My Zambia, My Responsibility is a Zambian non-profit that seeks to “promote positive conversations, highlight local successes, and connect Zambians at home and in the diaspora. MZMR aims to provoke positive attitudes and promote a sense of ‘Ubuntu’ among Zambians” (MZMR, About Us). By focusing on reducing social and economic gaps, linking makers with markets, and enhance social inclusion and peace building, MZMR provides an important service for all Zambians, and in particular, children/adolescents. Through a partnership with Metropolitan State University and numerous others (see list below), members of My Zambia, My Responsibility (MZMR) are in Saint Paul, MN for a four-week intensive training in social and behavioral change communication and substance abuse recovery and prevention.
How did you all connect to Zambia?!
Andrew (co-founder of the CSC Hub) has a long-standing professional relationship with Chola Lungu who is the Executive Director, Marketer, and Communications Specialist for MZMR. They have worked on multiple UNICEF projects in Zambia. Through their work, it became evident that Zambia needs a national strategy for the prevention of- and recovery from- alcohol and drug abuse, particularly among children and adolescents. The WHO reports 76% of men and 33% of women over 15 consume more than the recommended amount of alcohol daily and nearly 43% of children consume alcohol. While Andrew is an expert in social and behavioral change communication, he identified the need to bring in someone skilled in recovery and prevention. Therissa Libby (Department of Human Services) is an expert in this area with decades of teaching, research, and community-engagement.
In March 2023, Andrew and Therissa traveled to Zambia to conduct situational research to understand the various aspects that impact alcohol and drug abuse as well as long-term recovery. During this visit, they met with key stakeholders including: The Zambian National AIDS Council, the Zambian National Arts Council, Chainama Hospital, African Directions, the Zambian Drug Enforcement Commission, the Zambian Department of Corrections, Civil Society Organizations, religious organizations, and corporate supporters. Strategy sessions with stakeholders and MZMY identified the need for a holistic, multi-faceted national campaign rooted in social and behavioral change communication (SBCC) and recovery/prevention strategies.
The Training
One of the goals of the CSC Hub is to show you all, in real time, how crafting an SBCC strategy works. It’s not a matter of just choosing the behavioral change goal and tossing some words at it. In fact, SBCC is theory-driven and practice-based. We work backwards from the behavioral change goal to identify the drivers, barriers, and more towards change. Then, the messages are crafted, piloted in smaller areas, data is analyzed, and then the message is retooled based off the data analysis to go live in a bigger market. SBCC is fundamentally about using communication to positively impact people’s everyday lives. Our goal with MZMR, is to create a national strategy for decreasing drug/alcohol abuse among children/adolescents. This means the SBCC is deeply embedded in theories and models of recovery and prevention.
From May 4 to June 3, 2023 our four participants will engage in an intensive training that will culminate with a draft of the National Strategy of Substance Use Disorders Prevention and Recovery for Youth and Teens. Four key members of MZMR are here: Chisoma Lombe is the Chairperson and Founder; Chola Chilufya Longu is the Executive Director, Marketer and Communication Specialist; Delight Haangala is a Communications Specialist and works for the Drug Enforcement Commission; and Reverend Andrew Sulanji Sichilembe is a Counselor as well as the Senior Pastor for Trinity Chapel Zambia.
Follow along via the blog for updates on this important work and see how SBCC works!
More soon,
Ailesha
List of stakeholders:
My Zambia, My Responsibility
Metropolitan State University: The Department of Professional Communication (College of Liberal Arts), the Department of Human Services (College of Community Studies and Public Affairs), School of Urban Education, the Office of Equity and Inclusion, Student Affairs.
Substance abuse disorder experts: TTJ Group, SheRay’s and Associates
