The Zambia Association of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (ZAGO)’s commitment to advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) for young people goes beyond planning and funding. It is rooted in partnership, learning, and real-time adaptation. A core part of this strategy is the association’s ongoing program of project visits to all implementation sites.

In the last implementation period, ZAGO Project Management Unit undertook field onsite visits to all the 30 implementation sites in Eastern, Lusaka, and Copperbelt Provinces. These visits were far more than just monitoring checks; they were a vital engine for the AMPLIFYCHANGE SRHR Youth project’s success. The core purpose was twofold: to strengthen project implementation; and to provide tailored support, ensuring all sites collectively achieve the project’s ambitious goal.

The onsite visits had varied dimensions: gathering data on various SRHR indicators; hold discussions with both, the district and facility adolescent focal point persons on the project progress and challenges faced; meeting with peer educators for project insights; listening to experiences from community members; and sharing insights on how young people are able access SRH services through youth friendly health spaces. Each of these dimensions had their own unique stories to tell. The visits were grounded in understanding the daily realities, challenges, and triumphs of the project.

The project management unit was able to identify bottlenecks, celebrate innovative local solutions, and collaboratively refined approaches to enhance quality and reach – given the understanding that a challenge in one district was not the same in another. The visits therefore allowed the project teams to offer bespoke support exactly where and when it was needed.

It should be noted that success is built on trust and open communication. The face-to-face interactions strengthened the backbone of the project – existing relationship between the project team, healthcare providers, and adolescents and young people themselves. It was a space for honest feedback, shared learning, and renewed motivation.

“The most valuable insights that came out from the onsite visits included the enthusiasm to learn from the adaptive solutions shared. The lessons were fed directly back into project execution, ensuring the overall approach remained agile, relevant, and effective,” says ZAGO’s Project Manager, Mr Benedictus Mangala.

Going forward, ZAGO will continue to undertake such onsite visits to project sites to monitor and evaluate progress and challenges. The project management unit recognises these visits as a cornerstone of ZAGO’s commitment to accountability, learning, and quality. They ensure that the association’s shared vision for SRHR is not just a plan on paper but a living, growing reality making a tangible difference.