OUR STORY

Pamodzi was set up after a series of bereavement meetings within the community. Members of the community got concerned that many in the community, most of whom are/were close friends or relatives, may not have had access to information on prevention and awareness of HIV. As a result of this Pamodzi was founded as a Zambian women’s organisation in 1996, to deliver HIV prevention work activities in its community. As our work progressed we found that we were targeting other health issues prevalent in the community for example; other long term conditions cancers, mental health, blood pressure & heart disease, diabetes etc. As well as providing services to other southern African communities. One of the reasons for this is that Zambia supported a lot of countries in that region before they gained their independence, so we had a lot of people seeking refuge in Zambia. Therefore, Pamodzi was created to support and promote the development of these communities.

 

MISSION

Pamodzi” means “together” and together we believe we can make a difference in our communities.

Our overall aim:

To reduce the rate of late presentation of long term conditions including HIV transmission and providing information on other illnesses prevalent in the Southern African communities and making referrals to appropriate services.

Objectives:

• To ensure that people of Southern African origin have sufficient knowledge of HIV facts on STI’s and other prevalent illnesses
• To increase safer sex practices
• To encourage personal protection strategies in relation to southern African sexual and cultural practices
• To encourage the uptake of HIV tests, with emphasis on the voluntary named HIV ante-natal test
• To improve contact with, uptake and utilisation of HIV/sexual health services by Southern Africans.
• To improve the wellbeing of Southern African communities

Our values:

• Commitment to equal opportunities for all
• To be a caring, professional, responsive and user-orientated organisation
• Partnership with key stakeholders
• High standards of management and service delivery
• Care services to suit the African communities’ needs
• Empowerment of volunteers

Project beneficiaries:

Our target beneficiaries are women and teenagers aged 13 – 19 from southern African communities, particularly those from Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Angola, Botswana, Lesotho Swaziland, Namibia, Mozambique and South Africa. We also include men and young boys at our seminars/workshops and where we feel their involvement will improve the impact of our work. We feel empowering the women and young girls are important because most women in the African community are vulnerable.