Zambia Institute of Environmental Health Annual General meeting and Conference was held on the 18th to 20th November 2024 at Taj Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka, Zambia. The theme for this year was “Repositioning Environmental Health Services to address Current and Future Environmental Health concerns in Zambia”. Mr Kennedy Nduna, the CEO for Nvumabaranda group of companies was privileged to sponsor three Ladies from the Malawi Environmental Health Association Women’s Chapter to attend the AGM and Conference.
All the members of ZIEH warmly welcomed these ladies to their AGM and conference. It was an excellent opportunity for these Ladies to network, interact and share ideas with ZIEH members. One of the Malawian Ladies, Ellen Sithembile Ndhlovu was given a chance to chair the Annual General meeting. Key insights from the event was integration of services: a holistic approach as an essential for effective Environmental Health, Capacity building through continuous training of Environmental Health Practitioners, Community engagement through involving communities for them to foster ownership and sustainability as well as Policy advocacy.
ZIEH as an institution, planned activities for this upcoming year for the benefit of the institution. Some of the activities include: Capacity building for all Environmental Health Practitioners, more activities and collaborations with students, continue advocating for the Environmental Health Profession to key stakeholders, radio programs, TV programs etc., twinning programs with Malawi and South Africa and to enhance Professional Development.
The CEO of Nvumabaranda Group of Companies, Mr Kennedy Nduna had a chance to showcase their work on entrepreneurship in various business sectors in Health care, Accommodation services, waste recycling, Farming, Business centres, manufacturing industry and Education. He highlighted that we can use our knowledge in Environmental Health and skill to come up with businesses. He urged everyone to think widely and create jobs for the future generation.
The AGM and Conference was a place for professional growth, networking and sharing experiences for the MEHA ladies with ZIEH members. Some of the key Takeaways and Lessons learnt from the event were:
- Student Representation from Educational Institutions that offer EH Courses:
- A key point discussed at the conference was the importance of having student representatives from all institutions offering Environmental Health courses. It was emphasized that there should be better collaboration between academic institutions and professional bodies to bridge the gap between education and practice.
- Orientation of Students on Professional Ethics:
- It was highlighted that students should be oriented on the professional ethics and appropriate dress codes for different working environments before they start their attachments or internships
- Supervision of Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) in Health Facilities
- It was emphasized that Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) should not only be limited to EPI issues during supervision at the Health facilities but rather address issues on waste management and the cleanliness of the environment of the Health Facility
- Transport for ZIEH Activities:
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- ZIEH is actively working on acquiring a vehicle for transportation. The vehicle would be essential for conducting various activities of the organization.
- Funeral Policy for ZIEH Members:
- The need for a funeral policy was raised, where members would contribute a fee as part of their annual subscription to ensure that financial support is available for subscribed members who are bereaved
- Collaborating with Different Sectors:
ZIEH is in good collaboration with various sectors, including the defense forces, mining sector, entrepreneurs/businesses, NGOs and the Ministry of Health.
The following Pictures shows a glimpse of the ZIEH AGM and Conference:
