Lusaka ‒ During his 30 years as a community-based volunteer, Albert Nkhoma has witnessed his neighbourhood, Kalikiliki, in Zambia’s capital city Lusaka, grapple with public health challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic. More recently he worked tirelessly to support the response to the worst cholera outbreak in the country’s history. Throughout, his commitment to health promotion has not wavered.  

Work days can be long and gruelling. “With my team, I go into the community, sometimes with the megaphone, to just tell the people what they need to know. We move along the road, talk to people there, or go door to door to talk about hygiene, to talk about good health,” he says.

Nkhoma’s community work began in the mid-1990s with educating mothers about the importance of childhood immunization. He could never have imagined that, two decades later, he would find himself in the frontlines of Zambia’s COVID-19 response, an integral contributor to contact-tracing efforts. This experience stood him in good stead for the cholera outbreak that hit the country in October 2023, when his neighbourhood was among those worst affected.

As a member of one of Lusaka’s several active case-finding teams, he visits households where cholera cases have been reported, spraying a chlorine solution to disinfect latrines and key communal areas.

“When I finally get home after a long day, I'm really tired, but I'm happy,” Nkhoma says. “The thing that makes me feel so good is that I’m contributing to the community. I can help someone get well, help someone have information, so that the community is safe.”

With many thanks to Albert for sharing his story.