World Vision Zambia signs and MoU with the National Assembly of Zambia to Enhance Child Well-being

Despite ongoing efforts, there remains a critical need to enhance collaboration between civil society organisations and government institutions to effectively address child well-being in Zambia. Specifically, ensuring that policies, budgets, and programs related to child nutrition, health, education, and protection are adequately prioritised, monitored, and evaluated remains a challenge. This gap hampers the country’s progress toward sustainable development goals for children.

In a strategic move to strengthen private sector collaboration and drive sustainable development, World Vision Zambia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding in partnership with the National Assembly of Zambia to mark the beginning of a strategic partnership in support of the two institutions’ National Development Goals. 

The partnership is based on a common understanding that the well-being of children, their nutrition, health, education, and protection is a crucial element of the country's progress. 

Speaking during the signing ceremony, Acting Clerk of the National Assembly, Mrs. Loveness Mayaka, said the Memorandum of Understanding provides a strong foundation for World Vision and National Assembly Zambia to work together.

“By collaborating with World Vision Zambia, the National Assembly will be well informed, engaged and responsive to the needs of the people, especially the vulnerable communities,” she said. 

She explained that the MoU creates an opportunity for World Vision to identify a relevant committee to work with by way of providing sector experts and relevant information in the budget.

“This process requires different heads of expenditure to be scrutinised by relevant committees of the National Assembly, including areas of interest to World Vision such as Child protection, education, health and nutrition, water and humanitarian,” she noted.

And Associate Director for Operations at World Vision Zambia, Ms. Betty Mbewe, said World Vision Zambia is currently working to sustainably contribute to the well-being of 1.5 million children. 

“And this MoU is a strategic step toward connecting policy, implementation, and community action to ensure that every Zambian child thrives,” she said. 

Ms Mbewe said World Vision Zambia provides community-level insights, evidence, and expertise, while the national assembly holds the policy-making and oversight authority. “Together, we are a force for positive change,” she said.

“Through this memorandum of understanding, we envision strengthening our collaboration in monitoring how child-rights issues, particularly child nutrition, are budgeted, spent, and evaluated,” Ms. Mbewe said.