Stomacare Support Zambia

01/01/2026

End of Year Gratitude

As 2025 closes, we celebrate resilience, dignity, and community. 💙

This year, we educated, advocated, and stood together for every person living with a stoma in Zambia. None of it was possible without YOU—our volunteers, donors, and members.Here’s to 2026: more voices amplified, more lives supported, more hope shared.

Together, we turn challenges into strength, and strength into hope.

StomaCareZambia

08/12/2025

01/12/2025

When Supplies Run Out
Mwansa ( Not Real name) woke up with a heavy heart. His stoma had been created after surgery, but unlike others who had access to colostomy bags, he had none. Each day was a struggle to improvise. He used cloths and plastic wrappings to cover the opening, but they leaked often, leaving him anxious and embarrassed.
Going to work was difficult. He worried about odors, about stains on his clothes, about colleagues noticing. Simple activities — walking to the bus, sitting in meetings, sharing meals — became moments of fear. He avoided social gatherings, not because he didn’t want to be there, but because he couldn’t trust his improvised coverings to hold.
At home, Mwansa’s family tried to help. They washed his clothes constantly, comforted him when he felt ashamed, and searched for supplies. But without proper colostomy bags, infections were a constant risk. His skin grew sore, and the pain reminded him daily of what he lacked.
Then, one afternoon, StomaCare Support Zambia visited. They brought real colostomy bags, taught Mwansa how to use them, and reassured him that his dignity mattered. For the first time in months, he felt relief. He could walk outside without fear, laugh with his friends, and sleep through the night without waking to clean up.
Mwansa realized that life without colostomy bags was not just inconvenient — it was isolating, painful, and dangerous. But with support, he could reclaim his freedom and live with dignity again

30/11/2025

🌍 Understanding Colostomy: A Story for Our Community

Imagine your digestive system as a long road. Food travels down this road, gets digested, and eventually leaves the body at the end of the journey. But sometimes, due to illness, injury, or surgery, part of this road gets blocked or damaged. When that happens, doctors create a safe detour — this detour is called a colostomy.
🚪 What is a Colostomy?
A colostomy is a small opening made in the belly, called a stoma. Through this opening, waste leaves the body into a special pouch called a colostomy bag.
- Think of the stoma as a new “door” for the body’s waste.
- The colostomy bag is like a clean, discreet container that catches what would normally pass through the re**um.
This helps people continue living their lives even when the usual path isn’t working.
🌱 Types of Stomas
There are different kinds of stomas, depending on which part of the body is involved:
- Colostomy: Made from the large intestine (colon). Waste is usually more solid.
- Ileostomy: Made from the small intestine. Waste is more liquid.
- Urostomy: Made to divert urine when the bladder isn’t working.
Even within colostomies, there are variations:
- End colostomy: The end of the colon is brought out to the skin. Often permanent.
- Loop colostomy: A loop of bowel is pulled out and opened. Often temporary, used to protect healing areas.
- Sigmoid colostomy: Made from the lower part of the colon. Waste is more formed and predictable.
👜 Colostomy Bags
Colostomy bags are specially designed pouches that stick to the skin around the stoma. They are:
- Discreet: Modern bags are odor-proof and hidden under clothing.
- Practical: They can be emptied or changed easily.
- Varied: Some are one-piece (bag and base together), others are two-piece (bag attaches to a base). Some are drainable, others are disposable.
Most people empty or change their bag once or twice a day, depending on diet and type of stoma.

24/11/2025

Story of James: Courage in the Compound

James( not Real Name) is a 10-year-old boy living in one of Lusaka’s bustling compounds. His days begin like many other children’s—he wakes to the sound of roosters, the chatter of neighbors, and the smell of nshima cooking in nearby homes. But James’s life is different. He lives with a colostomy, a condition that requires him to wear a stoma bag.

🎒 School and Stigma

For James, going to school is both a dream and a challenge. He loves learning, especially reading stories about explorers and inventors. Yet, the classroom often feels like a battlefield. Some children whisper when they notice his bag, others tease him, and a few keep their distance out of fear or misunderstanding.

The stigma weighs heavily on James. He sometimes wonders if he belongs in school at all. Carrying books in one hand and the quiet burden of his condition in the other, he feels isolated. Teachers try to help, but many don’t fully understand what a colostomy means.

💙 Support from StomaCare Zambia

This is where StomaCare Support Zambia steps in. The organization provides James with not only medical supplies but also emotional support.

Through their advocacy, James begins to see himself not as “different,” but as brave. He learns that his condition does not define his worth. With their guidance, he gains confidence to stand tall in class, answer questions, and even share his own story.

✨ The Bigger Picture

James’s story is not just about one boy—it reflects the struggles of many children in Zambia living with hidden disabilities. StomaCare Support Zambia continues to fight stigma, provide resources, and create safe spaces where children like James can thrive.

For more Information about the colostomy condition Visit Stomacare support Zambia Website and social media platforms.

24/11/2025

Story of James: Courage in the Compound
James( not Real Name) is a 10-year-old boy living in one of Lusaka’s bustling compounds. His days begin like many other children’s—he wakes to the sound of roosters, the chatter of neighbors, and the smell of nshima cooking in nearby homes. But James’s life is different. He lives with a colostomy, a condition that requires him to wear a stoma bag.
🎒 School and Stigma
For James, going to school is both a dream and a challenge. He loves learning, especially reading stories about explorers and inventors. Yet, the classroom often feels like a battlefield. Some children whisper when they notice his bag, others tease him, and a few keep their distance out of fear or misunderstanding.
The stigma weighs heavily on James. He sometimes wonders if he belongs in school at all. Carrying books in one hand and the quiet burden of his condition in the other, he feels isolated. Teachers try to help, but many don’t fully understand what a colostomy means.
💙 Support from StomaCare Zambia
This is where StomaCare Support Zambia steps in. The organization provides James with not only medical supplies but also emotional support.
Through their advocacy, James begins to see himself not as “different,” but as brave. He learns that his condition does not define his worth. With their guidance, he gains confidence to stand tall in class, answer questions, and even share his own story.
✨ The Bigger Picture
James’s story is not just about one boy—it reflects the struggles of many children in Zambia living with hidden disabilities. StomaCare Support Zambia continues to fight stigma, provide resources, and create safe spaces where children like James can thrive.
For more Information about the colostomy condition Visit Stomacare support Zambia Website and social media platforms.

23/11/2025

Stomacare Support Zambia is a beacon of hope for individuals living with ostomy conditions, offering dignity, advocacy, and practical care in a region where such support is often overlooked.

🌍 Championing Ostomy Awareness in Zambia

Stomacare Support Zambia (SSZ) is a legally registered non-governmental, non-profit organization based in Lusaka. Its mission is to improve the lives of individuals living with ostomies—surgical openings created to allow waste to leave the body—by providing emotional support, medical supplies, and public education. In a country where ostomy care is rarely discussed and often misunderstood, SSZ is breaking barriers and building bridges.

💙 Invisible Disability, Visible Support

SSZ’s recent campaign, Invisible Disability, Visible Support, highlights the challenges faced by people with hidden medical conditions. Through community events, performances, and interactive outreach, the organization aims to destigmatize ostomies and foster empathy. Their promotional materials—including bold posters and social media engagement—invite the public to participate in awareness-building activities, such as guessing the featured artist at upcoming events.

🩺 Practical Help and Human Stories

One of SSZ’s most impactful efforts is the distribution of ostomy supplies to individuals who cannot afford them. Many patients previously resorted to using plastic bags or improvised materials, risking infection and discomfort. SSZ has partnered with hospitals like the University Teaching Hospital and Cancer Disease Hospital to deliver proper colostomy bags and accessories, transforming lives and restoring dignity.

🤝 Volunteer-Led and Community-Driven

Run by a dedicated team of volunteers, SSZ operates from Chalala, Lusaka, and welcomes donations and partnerships. Their work includes:

Advocacy and education on ostomy care and invisible disabilities

Resource mobilization to sustain supply distribution and outreach programs

Storytelling and documentation to amplify voices of ostomates across Zambia

📱 Connect and Support

SSZ maintains an active presence on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube under the handle Support Zambia, sharing updates, testimonials, and educational content. They can be reached at 0977874652 or 0966874652, and their website stomacaresupportzambia.com offers more information on how to join or contribute.

Stomacare Support Zambia is not just a medical support group—it’s a movement for visibility, compassion, and change. Whether through a donation, a shared story, or attendance at one of their vibrant events, every act of engagement helps rewrite the narrative around invisible disabilities in Zambia.

From the 24th of November 2025 we will be posting what we have been doing from January going forward and if you follow share and like our page you might win a prize as we have a quiz. so let the fun begin!!!!

02/11/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/17LC6uakQo/

18/10/2025

Ostomy Awareness at Chevening Alumni Fundraiser

11/10/2025

11/10/2025

Invisible Disability visible support

06/10/2025

Listen to Radio phoneix at 10hrs today as we talk about the Ostomy condition and World Ostomy Awareness Day