s we end another year, we cannot help but join the hymn writer Frances Ridley Havergal and declare that it’s been “another year of mercies, of faithfulness and grace; another year of gladness in the shining of God’s face; another year of leaning upon God’s loving breast; another year of trusting, of quiet, happy rest.”
Indeed, it has been a year of trusting and resting in the Lord. This has been one of the hospital’s busiest years, as we’ve seen exponential growth in a number of areas, including additional infrastructure that was much-needed to continue providing quality healthcare services to more children.
We opened the Cleft Care Centre at CURE Zambia, the first facility in the country to provide comprehensive services to children with cleft lip and palate. This comprehensive approach allows patients to be treated by various experts all in one place, eliminating major barriers to care like price, identifying specialists, travel logistics, and medical record transmission. The comprehensive services provided at our hospital include surgical intervention, speech therapy, and orthodontic and nutritional services.
We also expanded our children’s ward by adding 15 more beds, giving us a total of 60 beds and highlighting our commitment to meet Zambia’s growing healthcare needs. The expanded facility will accommodate more
patients, enhance our services, and create a more comfortable and welcoming environment for our patients and their families.
Furthermore, the hospital also constructed a warehouse to store equipment and essential commodities and commissioned a solar field. A serious drought has affected the country, leading to extended hours of no electricity—about 21 hours each day. The solar installation came at the right time, providing us with continual power so we can consistently provide quality care.
We are truly grateful to CURE’s donors and partners for believing in our vision and commitment to improving the lives of children with treatable disabilities. Their support has been invaluable in assuring our continued quality of care for our patients and their families.
Sincerely,
Frida Kabaso Phiri Executive Director CURE Zambia
OVERVIEW FISCAL YEAR 2024
KEY PROGRAM STATISTICS IN FY24
14,449 7,822
615
SURGICAL PROCEDURES
3,192 IN FY24
HOSPITAL SUMMARY
ZAMBIA
Beit-CURE Children’s Hospital of Zambia
Cities where FY24 mobile clinics occurred
Davao City PHILIPPINES
Bulawayo ZIMBABWE
OUR NETWORK
CURE Zambia is part of CURE International, a Christian nonprofit organization that operates a global network of children’s hospitals pairing world-class surgical care and counseling to serve children living with treatable disabilities and their families.
Addis Ababa ETHIOPIA
Niamey NIGER
Mbale UGANDA
Kijabe KENYA
Lusaka ZAMBIA
Blantyre MALAWI
CURE ZAMBIA ESTABLISHES PROSTHETICS AND ORTHOTICS WORKSHOP
Mobility is vital for independence, enabling individuals to move and engage in daily activities. Children with physical disabilities often have limited mobility, leading to feelings of isolation and dependence. But with the help of prosthetics and orthotics (P&O), these children can be mobile and experience a better quality of life.
To meet the growing need for assistive devices, CURE Zambia established a prosthetics and orthotics workshop. “Seeing children gain mobility with prosthetics is a priceless experience,” says Margaret Guyan, Director of Prosthetics and Orthotics at CURE.
Margaret noted the widespread need for prosthetic
services in the country and shared that the workshop has served over 230 children since opening in November 2023. According to a 2015 national disability survey, 4.4 percent of Zambian children have disabilities, yet there are less than 25 prosthetics and orthotics professionals in Zambia.
CURE Zambia’s workshop is the third in the CURE network, following Kenya and Ethiopia, and offers a variety of assistive devices, including crutches, wheelchairs, and compression garments.
The workshop has already made a significant impact, providing children like Joshua with the mobility to live an independent life.
left: Margaret Guyan, CURE’s Director of Prosthetics and Orthotics, examines a child in need of prosthetics.
right: Joshua came into the new workshop at CURE Zambia for a first fitting of his new tailor-made prosthetic legs—and he could not hide his joy!
CURE ZAMBIA OPENS FIRST COMPREHENSIVE CLEFT CENTRE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
Imagine your baby getting thinner because they can’t feed properly or your toddler struggling to speak. This is the reality for many parents of babies born with cleft lip and/or palate, an opening in the upper lip and/or roof of the mouth that causes complications with eating and speaking, among other issues.
Guest of honour and Acting Permanent Secretary for Technical Services at the Ministry of Health Zambia, Dr. Godfrey Phiri, cuts the ribbon and unveils the new centre.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), an estimated 295,000 babies die each year globally before reaching four weeks due to congenital disorders and associated complications. To help more children in need, CURE Zambia celebrated the opening of their comprehensive Cleft Care Centre—the first of its kind in Zambia and Southern Africa—on 23 April 2024.
PARTNERING TO SERVE THE UNDERSERVED
“I would like to commend BeitCURE Children’s Hospital for this initiative and its commitment to partnering with the government to improve healthcare access for children in Zambia,” said Dr. Godfrey Phiri, Acting Permanent Secretary for Technical Services at the Ministry of Health Zambia.
Of the 500-800 children born with cleft conditions annually in the country, most live in underserved communities. Parents seeking specialised care for their children
quickly discover that surgical care is scarce and expensive, leaving them facing a lifetime of issues. Clefts can result in complications, including difficulty breathing and eating (which can lead to malnutrition), dental problems, ear infections, and permanent hearing and speech disabilities.
In collaboration with Smile Train, CURE Zambia provides much-needed comprehensive cleft care to children in the country. Smile Train’s Southern Africa Regional Director, Sibusisiwe Yona, shared, “In the 12 countries in East and Southern Africa that Smile Train operates, CURE Zambia’s comprehensive cleft centre is the first of its kind. Smile Train is proud to be part of this impactful partnership.”
THE SCOPE OF COMPREHENSIVE CARE
In addition to suffering many physical complications, children with clefts often face teasing, bullying, and social exclusion, significantly harming their emotional well-being and self-esteem.
But CURE Zambia is working diligently to give these kids hope and confidence with a new smile, seeing every patient through the complete healing process.
The centre is led by the hospital’s first full-time in-house Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Meredith Workman. Her arrival in January 2023 made CURE Zambia one of only two hospitals in the country to provide plastic surgery services. Since Dr. Workman joined CURE, she has performed over 290 surgeries.
Comprehensive cleft care at CURE Zambia aims to correct the physical aspects of cleft lip and palate and provide support that addresses patients’ multifaceted needs. With
an experienced team of specialists, the centre houses a state-of-the-art operating theatre for surgery and spaces for orthodontia and dental care, speech therapy, and counselling—all critical aspects of caring for a child with a cleft condition until they’re completely healed. There is also a dedicated children’s play area and room to teach nutrition support and food preparation.
One child benefiting from CURE Zambia’s care is Sylvia, who struggled to breast-feed due to her cleft lip and palate. Now, after life-changing surgery at CURE, she is able to feed without challenges and has a brandnew smile and renewed hope for the future.
above: It is clear from Sylvia’s smile that a transformation has taken place. After surgery at CURE to correct her cleft lip, she no longer has issues feeding.
below: Patients and staff cheer for the grand opening of the new Cleft Care Centre at CURE Zambia.
BLOSSOMING BEYOND ADVERSITY WITH A SMILE: BRIDGET’S STORY
Asingle accident changed Bridget’s life in the blink of an eye. This fun-loving four-year-old girl injured herself while playing, leading to a tumor in her throat and under her tongue. The tumor forced her tongue out of position, making it difficult to eat, talk, and keep her mouth closed.
SEARCHING FOR HOPE IN A STORM
The tumor erased Bridget’s beautiful smile, breaking the heart of her mother, Elizabeth, who couldn’t believe her only girl might live in pain forever. “I want her to be happy and smile again, just like old times,” Elizabeth shared.
Bridget’s discomfort and inability to speak forced her to quit school. Despite visiting various medical facilities, Elizabeth found no treatment for her daughter. Compounding the family’s struggles, Bridget’s father had recently lost his job, leaving them unable to afford basic needs, let alone able to cover the cost of surgery for Bridget.
Referred from one hospital to another, Elizabeth felt hopelessuntil a neighbor’s friend suggested they visit CURE Zambia.
DETERMINED TO FIND HEALING
Elizabeth arrived at the hospital filled with faith and renewed hope for a miracle.
Dr. Haben Birhane, an ENT specialist at CURE Zambia, examined Bridget and offered surgical treatment at no cost, thanks to CURE’s generous donors. Once the family agreed to the treatment, Bridget’s surgery was scheduled.
Before surgery at CURE Zambia, Bridget lost her confidence and couldn’t close her mouth because of a tumor. After surgery, Bridget’s confidence is back and her joy is through the roof!
Elizabeth felt spiritually and emotionally drained, but that changed quickly with the support of the hospital’s spiritual ministry team. “I was welcomed with so much joy by the staff,” she recalled. “Pastor Lubasi from the spiritual team prayed with me, giving me strength to stay strong for my daughter.”
Two days after Bridget’s admission, Dr. Haben and Dr. Rachel Hapunda conducted a two-hour surgery to remove the tumor from her mouth. Post-surgery, Bridget was fed via a tube to allow her tongue to heal.
Elizabeth remembered Pastor Lubasi’s encouraging words before the surgery, comparing their struggle to David and Goliath and reminding her to have faith.
above: Dr. Haben (right) and Dr. Rachel (middle) team up alongside Nurse Boyd in the operating theatre to remove Bridget’s tumor.
right: Bridget and her mum, Elizabeth, happily pose for a photo during a home visit from CURE Zambia’s staff.
A few days later, Bridget’s feeding tube was removed, and she was discharged with strict diet instructions to follow during her recovery at home. A month and some weeks later, during a follow-up appointment, everyone was in awe of Bridget’s bright smile and quick recovery.
A PATH WITH RENEWED DREAMS
Months after receiving care at CURE Zambia, Bridget can talk, eat, and smile again. She even sang “Yes, Jesus loves me, yes, I know! For the Bible tells me so” during a home visit by the hospital team.
Bridget, now all smiles, is excited to return to school after a tough year of recovery. She dreams of becoming a nurse to help others heal.
Elizabeth is profoundly grateful for the physical and spiritual healing Bridget found at CURE Zambia after enduring so much trauma. “Thank you for showing us love and kindness. May God bless all the sponsors so that CURE Zambia can continue to help more children like Bridget!”
“ I WAS WELCOMED WITH SO MUCH JOY BY THE STAFF ... THE SPIRITUAL TEAM PRAYED WITH ME, GIVING ME STRENGTH TO STAY STRONG FOR MY DAUGHTER.”
--- Elizabeth, Bridget’s mother
SENIOR DIRECTOR TEAM
Frida Kabaso Phiri
Executive Director
Dr. Giorgio Lastroni
Medical Director
Terence Kombe
Spiritual Director
FY24 FINANCIAL SUMMARY
CURE Zambia staff gathered in front of the hospital
JOIN US
REFER A CHILD
CURE Zambia welcomes patient referrals. If you know of a child who could benefit from the services offered by CURE Zambia, please contact us or bring the child to our clinic during planned hours. Our contact information is listed on the back cover.
GIVE
All medical care is provided through the generous contribution of CURE donors, our nonprofit partners, and insurance programs. Children will be treated by our clinical team without charge or debt created. Please contact us if you are interested in sponsoring a child’s surgery.
PRAY
We believe that God alone is the source of changed lives and transformed communities. Please join us in asking for God’s healing for the children we serve.
Thank you for sharing in our mission to heal the sick and proclaim the kingdom of God!
Address
Plot No. 34872A, Great N Rd, Lusaka, Zambia
On-Site Clinic Schedule
Monday-Friday: 8:00-17:00
Phone +260 977740166
Email info@curezambia.org
Website zambia.cure.org
Social facebook.com/curezambia instagram.com/cure_zambia
