Fact finding mission 2017 and first training courses
In 2017, Zambesi Health e.V. (ZH) carried out a fact-finding mission in Kazungula, Zambia, in which a total of twenty-one stakeholders from the district took part. These stakeholders included community, animal and health professionals, butchers, the local market manager and farmers. The aim of this mission was to identify the needs of the Kazungula community in the area of improving food hygiene.
In numerous discussions in rotating expert groups and joint meetings, common goals were defined. The most important goals were:
Training content
- Improving knowledge about hygiene among farmers, their families and school children: It was recognized that a basic understanding of hygiene measures is crucial to prevent foodborne diseases. Training and educational programs should be developed to raise awareness of hygiene standards and improve implementation on farms.
- Establishing local distribution chains to market locally produced safe dairy products: It has been recognized that local farmers can produce high quality dairy products that enable safe consumption. In order to successfully market these products, the creation of local distribution chains should be encouraged to facilitate access to safe and healthy food for the community.
Practical exercises
The results of the fact-finding mission form an important basis for future measures and programs of Zambesi Health e.V. in the Kazungula community. By working with local stakeholders, we aim to raise awareness of food hygiene and create sustainable solutions to improve the food supply in the community.
We thank all participants in the fact-finding mission for their valuable contributions and look forward to working with the Kazungula community to achieve the identified goals.
As part of our efforts to improve food hygiene in the Kazungula community in Zambia, Zambesi Health e.V. carried out a series of practical exercises and seminars that led to good results.
An important milestone was the successful implementation of a two-day workshop on joint meat and dairy hygiene, which also included the production of locally produced, safe halloumi cheese.
Cooperation
During the workshop, participants gained valuable knowledge and practical skills in the field of food hygiene, such as preservation and sterilization by boiling and the diseases that can be caused by eating raw food.
Hand washing as a basic hygiene measure is already very well established in Zambia, but there are difficulties in places where there is no running water. That’s why we built Tippi Taps together with the farmers.
The focus was also on the production of halloumi cheese, as this is a locally produced specialty with great potential for marketing. By training the participants in best hygiene practices, we were able to ensure that the halloumi cheese production process meets the highest hygiene standards.
The workshop was followed by a meeting with the board members of the Kazungula Multi-Purpose Co-operative Limited. At this meeting, concrete plans to improve hygiene were discussed and developed.
