LocationsIn Zambia's health posts, reliability is everything, and sustainable power makes it possible
Securing the Next Visit
May 28, 2026
"We know them here," Dorothy says. She means Cleopatra, the nurse who brought Winfred into the world and is still here for every check-up after. This is what continuity of care looks like in Zambia's rural communities. And this is what's at stake when the power goes out.
Photo by: Vanessa Wematu Akibate/UNDP Zambia
From the moment you step into Wisdom Health Post, you witness a constant stream of faces moving in and out of the facility. Many of them are mothers with their infants, coming in for routine immunisations and access to care for their children. Emelda Chilata was one of these faces. When baby Josephine turned six months old, Emelda brought her in for a routine malaria injection, a weight check, and a few questions from the nurse, then they were off. But she is already planning the next visit at baby Jojo’s nine-month mark. Emelda intends to bring her back for her measles immunisation as a proactive and necessary next step.
The same morning, many other mothers came in with babies in tow, ready to receive several other vaccines to protect their children. From diphtheria, tetanus, and PCV to pertussis and other routine vaccines, the Mother and Child Healthcare department is as busy as it usually is, providing care for young patients.
“We come here all the time,” Emelda says, adjusting Jojo in her wrapper. “We want our kids to grow up healthy and be kept safe.”
Wisdom’s catchment area has grown to over 21,000 people, drawn by the expanding pull of Solwezi’s mining economy. More families are moving into the city and its compounds in search of opportunity. That growth is a positive sign for the town, but it also places real pressure on the facility. The energy grid is strained, and infrastructure is only beginning to catch up with the increasing number of households and businesses in the area. Health posts like Wisdom, located in a rapidly expanding peri-urban compound, are absorbing the impact of that growth every day.
Acting nurse-in-charge Rebecca Mulubwa explains that the facility is always busy. Vaccines are stored in a small ice box in the Mother and Child Healthcare ward, intended to serve over 150 patients daily, and must be replenished through weekly trips to the district office. That trip takes time and resources that the already stretched team can ill afford. Electronic diagnostic tools are difficult to rely on when power is inconsistent, and while the facility has adopted SmartCare in line with the Government’s directive, staff often fall back on manual forms, updating the digital system only when the network allows.
None of this shows on Rebecca’s face when she is working. She and her team show up, and the work gets done. But the gap between what they can currently deliver and what they could deliver, with stable power and consistent connectivity, is real and widening as the compound grows.
Emelda and six-month-old Josephine at Wisdom Health Post in Solwezi, already planning their return visit for Jojo's measles immunisation at nine months.
Photo by: Vanessa Wematu Akibate/UNDP Zambia
Vaccines at Wisdom Health Post are currently stored in a small ice box, replenished through weekly trips to the district office. This places a strain on time and resources for a team already serving over 150 patients a day.
Photo by: Vanessa Wematu Akibate/UNDP Zambia
About 70 kilometres away in Mushindamo District, Cleopatra Chileshe, a registered nurse working at the Luamala Rural Health Centre, knows that gap all too well. In 2022, Cleopatra helped Dorothy Kapalu deliver her energetic baby, Winfred, at the facility.
“We know them here,” Dorothy says. “[Cleopatra] was there when I delivered, so we know them very well.”
Dorothy’s delivery was a smooth one that took place in the afternoon, but had she arrived at night, the experience could have been very different. Cleopatra explains that when births happen in the evening, mothers are often advised to bring an additional source of light to the facility to assist during delivery. Births can take place by torch or candlelight, and the limited lighting can make it harder to provide the level of care needed.
Now little Winfred is two and a half years old, back at Luamala for a check-up after a bout of illness, still carrying the particular energy that toddlers bring everywhere they go. Her mother, Dorothy, trusts the facility and the healthcare workers at Luamala. Trust like this is not easily earned, especially in communities where distance, cost, and uncertainty place many women at risk during delivery. Cleopatra is candid about the pressures she and her team face, including power outages and network inconsistencies that threaten their ability to deliver that care reliably and maintain the community’s trust.
“When the power goes,” she says, “everything becomes harder.”
Dorothy delivered Winfred at Luamala Rural Health Centre two and a half years ago. Births at the facility can happen by torchlight when the power goes out. The Smart Health Systems project is making sure no mother has to settle for that again.
Photo by: Vanessa Wematu Akibate/UNDP Zambia
Across the country, nurses like Cleopatra deliver the kind of attentive, familiar care that keeps mothers like Dorothy coming back. All they need is a system that shows up the same way they do.
Photo by: Vanessa Wematu Akibate/UNDP Zambia
The Smart Health Systems project, backed by a grant from the Global Fund and implemented by UNDP, with the Ministry of Health as the primary grant recipient, is working to close this gap. The project is upgrading 48 facilities across North-Western Province with solar energy and connectivity infrastructure, as part of a national programme with a combined catchment population of over 5 million individuals covering 426 facilities with solar power and over 750 with low Earth orbit satellite connectivity systems.
At Wisdom, this means stable, sustainable energy to power proper vaccine storage and keep the facility’s operations running even when outages occur. At Luamala, it means a delivery room that remains well-lit and safe for both mother and child. Across rural communities in Zambia, it gives patients greater confidence to seek care at a health facility, rather than staying at home, supported by climate-resilient infrastructure that can withstand power outages and network failures.
Beyond the immediate care context, the project is part of UNDP’s broader commitment to building climate-resilient health systems. By replacing fuel-powered generators with solar power and reducing dependence on grid supply, the project is projected to cut approximately 2,500 tonnes of CO₂ annually, in line with UNDP’s Greening Moonshot initiative, which aims to decarbonise public institutions.
“Reliable energy is fundamental to quality healthcare. Through our partnership with the Government of Zambia and the Global Fund, we are moving beyond isolated interventions towards systems that ensure health facilities can consistently deliver care, regardless of power or connectivity challenges. In line with Agenda 2030, the Global Fund's investment in health infrastructure and the Government of Zambia's commitment to sustainable, climate-smart development are two sides of the same coin."— shares Dr James Wakiaga, the UNDP Zambia’s Resident Representative.
As Emelda finishes her visit, with Jojo receiving her injection with minimal objection, as six-month-olds do, she is already prepared to return in three months. By then, Rebecca and her team will be ready with solar-powered vaccine storage, no longer dependent on weekly ice box runs to the district office. And in Luamala, Dorothy and Winfred can trust that their next visit will be in a well-lit room with reliable access to electronic equipment – should they need it.
From routine visits to life-changing moments, the Smart Health Systems project is helping ensure that care is available when it is needed most.
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