Copperbelt Health Education Project
The Copperbelt Health Education Project (CHEP) has worked with the prevention of HIV/AIDS and the involvement of the local community in the Copperbelt Province since 1988.
CHEP is a large and recognised, politically and religiously independent organisation that is currently working on various aspects of health and capacity development in Zambia.
The main focus is to strengthen civil society. In addition to tuberculosis and HIV, CHEP has projects in which they support orphaned and vulnerable children, strengthening the rights of women and employment for young people.
They also manage the CHEP Training & Research Centre where they offer various courses, a library and the Internet to students and other interested parties in the city.
Through cooperation with LHL International, CHEP provides different types of training to various local and voluntary organisations that work with tuberculosis and HIV. They train volunteers to become treatment supporters for persons with tuberculosis and HIV.
A tuberculosis nurse shows the patient-friendly brochures that CHEP and LHL International have prepared in English, Bemba and Lamba.
The courses offered by CHEP include subjects such as:
- nutrition
- health communication
- political lobbying
- economic and organisational development
This contributes to the organisations becoming self-sustaining and able to continue the good work on their own.
Read more about our peer support work here.
The organisations can also apply for funding to start up activities that can generate income, such as cultivating vegetables or a grain mill. The income will be used to help patients who require additional food and other support.
CHEP is a significant professional resource for other organisations in the Copperbelt Province, and it organises an annual conference on tuberculosis, at which tuberculosis patients, voluntary organisations and representatives for the authorities meet for dialogue.
The project is carried out in close cooperation with the local health authorities.