Geographically, Block G in Meheba Refugee Settlement finds itself at a drastic disadvantage in terms of receiving health services. Located at the back of the camp and far from any clinics, the refugees of Block G feel isolated and under-served when it comes to medical attention.

When FORGE brought this community together to determine what they needed, the answer was clear: an opportunity for healthier lives. After an extensive needs assessment, the refugee project leader explains that, "the findings showed clearly that the population of all ages and classes suffered pain of lack of medical services." Thus they designed the Refugee Health Service (RHS) project, which will enable patients who can’t make it to the nearest clinic to get basic medicines, allow pregnant women to get delivery assistance by trained midwives, and give children access to the care that they need. This project will help all 2,000 people in this block to live longer and healthier lives.

Meheba Refugee Settlement is located on 700 square kilometers in the Northwestern Province of Zambia. At the peak of its population, Meheba Settlement provided refuge for 120,000 refugees. Today, it is home to over 13,000 refugees from the DR Congo, Angola, Rwanda, Burundi, and Sudan.

In violation of the United Nations’ Geneva Convention, Zambia does not allow refugees freedom of employment or movement. As a result, refugees found living outside camp grounds are imprisoned and deprived of access to legal representation.

However, conditions in the Meheeba settlement are also difficult. Although refugees are given land to cultivate, the potential income earned from their farming is curbed by improper tools, expensive fertilizer, and poor soil quality. In addition, the settlement's aid provisions have been used without a stable means of replacing them. With limited options and depleted resources, refugees have been marginalized and left in a largely hopeless situation.

One of the primary struggles that Meheba's refugees face is obtaining proper medical care. Areas of the settlement are left neglected because of their distance from clinics. In addition, limited educational opportunities compounds illnesses by leaving the population ignorant of preventive techniques and basic treatments. However, FORGE Health Service recognizes that Meheba Refugee Camp offers an opportunity to invest in individuals and is working to achieve change that will endure beyond the borders of the Meheba settlement.

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Direct Impact of Your Project

The staff of Refugee Health Services (RHS) believes that a comprehensive approach to healthcare in Meheba can create a culture of health that will not only ameliorate some of the health issues currently facing Meheba, but also prevent the development of future health crises in the settlement. Thus, RHS's services focus on addressing health issues through preventative education, provision of basic health services, and the improvement of access to existing health services. Through educational campaigns, RHS empowers members of the Meheba community to protect and advocate for their own health and that of their families.

Be it through advice on avoiding malaria, eating a balanced diet, or maintaining proper hygiene, the skills that refugees learn through RHS help them to build healthier communities. RHS also provides basic screenings and check-ups. Members of the Meheba community can come in to have their height, weight, and blood pressure measured, and to hear the implications of the results. Additionally, the RHS staff is trained to administer basic first aid and to provide certain treatments.

These services are important for health maintenance, but are often overlooked by overcrowded clinics elsewhere in the camp. When clients comes to RHS with serious health issues that require visiting a formal clinic, the RHS staff can help them navigate the sometimes confusing and intimidating system. RHS staff provide referrals to the proper clinic, as well as follow-up services to make sure that the referral was successful. In this way, the refugees in Meheba are better able to take advantage of the health resources that are available to them.

Extended Impact on Your Partner Community

The health benefits of RHS multiply exponentially, as individuals share the health information and practices they learn at RHS. With the large typical family size in Meheba, each person who learns strategies for managing their health through RHS can pass those along to many other individuals. Additionally, RHS distributes condoms to interested members of the community in order to encourage safe sexual behavior. The availability and use of condoms extend the culture of health created by RHS, so that people have both the knowledge and the means to protect themselves from preventable diseases. In combination with the refugees who directly access RHS's services and the families who benefit from their relative's education, RHS's impact extends to the entire settlement population of 13,000.