Finding hope in every smile: Zambian health advocate’s lifesaving mission

When Abraham Muma speaks about his work in Zambia, he does so with the conviction of someone answering a deep, personal calling.

‘There is that drive in me that pushes me further,’ he says of his work as the project manager for the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health project in the Diocese of Mpika in Zambia.

Abraham recently visited Australia on a speaking tour hosted by Catholic Mission as part of its campaign to raise awareness and support for their expanding partnership with the Diocese of Mpika—a mission-driven collaboration to combat the region’s critical maternal health crisis. At the heart of this project is a belief in sustainable, community-led change, grounded in faith and compassion.

The bishop’s mission is my mission too ... so that at the end of the day, people may live life to the fullest. People may have hope restored in their hearts.

The initiative is urgently needed. Zambia has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with more than 30 per cent of women giving birth without medical assistance. Postpartum haemorrhage accounts for 34 per cent of maternal deaths. Many women walk for days, even while in labour, to access basic care—if care is available at all.

Thanks to a three-year, $1 million commitment from Catholic Mission Australia, new infrastructure is being built, including a maternity ward and mothers’ shelter at Chalabesa Mission Hospital, along with ten health outposts in isolated communities. The project aims to reduce preventable deaths and restore dignity and hope to women and families across the diocese.

Abraham’s own journey into healthcare was forged through faith. ‘As a young boy, being a Catholic, I had that passion to serve people and the community,’ he explains. ‘During my younger, formative years, I was thinking of becoming a priest … but later on, a second thought struck my mind.’

As Zambia was gripped by the HIV and AIDS crisis, Abraham shifted direction. ‘There were so many people in need, and so many who were dying in hospitals. My focus changed from saving souls to saving the community,’ he says. Instead he undertook training in medical school so he would be ‘ready to go into the field to help my brothers and sisters’.

In 2021, when Bishop Edwin Mulandu of Mpika Diocese, himself a former director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Zambia, invited Abraham to lead this maternal health initiative, he didn’t hesitate. ‘The bishop’s mission is my mission too. We believe our bishops are the shepherds and we are the sheep,’ Abraham explains, ‘so that at the end of the day, people may live life to the fullest. People may have hope restored in their hearts.’

It’s like a full circle of life, where some are entering the world, like the babies, and others who are leaving this world are also passing through. We are giving hope to both.

For Abraham, the work is not merely about infrastructure or medicine. It’s about imitating Christ. ‘The mission of the Church is, first of all, the healing of souls,’ he says. ‘Christ was healing and giving hope to those who were downtrodden. When our people come to these mission hospitals, we want them to leave with a lot of hope.’

Mission hospitals in Mpika are more than clinics; they are lifelines, embedded in the social fabric of their communities. ‘They are a hub of activities,’ Abraham explains. ‘There, you would find a school and shops, and also a lot of activity happening at that facility … These hospitals are a refuge for the afflicted.’

Abraham sees his role as part of a sacred circle. ‘It’s like a full circle of life,’ he reflects, ‘where some are entering the world, like the babies, and others who are leaving this world are also passing through. We are giving hope to both. Those who are dying, they die with Christ. Those who are born, they are born with Christ.’

As project manager, Abraham says there are two guiding principles for all who work with him in mission health: ‘Number one, you have to see Christ in the sick, and the sick should see Christ in you.’

His message has resonated deeply with audiences across Australia, with Catholic Mission supporters moved not only by his dedication, but also by his humility. When asked what the project needs most—equipment or funding—Abraham responds simply, ‘Friendship, because with friendship there is genuine human connection and bridges of trust.’

Hope cannot be quantified, but it can be measured in the smiles of mothers—smiles made possible by the support of those I met in Australia.

He adds, ‘Only through genuine friendship can authentic care emerge, creating a strong and sustainable foundation.’

Catholic Mission’s approach to Mpika is not a top-down solution, but one shaped by the lived realities of people like Abraham, and by the visionary leadership of Bishop Mulandu. Describing his mission as one of ‘empowering, educating and inspiring’, Bishop Mulandu’s priorities align with Catholic Mission’s own vision of holistic development—spiritual, educational and social.

During his Australian tour, Abraham reminded supporters that while medical statistics can feel abstract, hope is something you can see. ‘Hope cannot be quantified,’ he says, ‘but it can be measured in the smiles of mothers—smiles made possible by the support of those I met in Australia.’