As Zambia navigates its transition away from public health donor dependency, a compelling locally-led solution is emerging: leveraging the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) for immunization programming. With over 40 million Kwacha, about $2 million, allocated to each of Zambia's 156 constituencies in 2026, lawmakers are now pushing for a ring-fenced quota for immunization programs. In Mbabala constituency alone, that model has already resulted in the construction of two maternity annexes, seven equipped health facilities, community water schemes and a community volunteer workforce reaching children at the last mile.

In this episode of One Shot, Long Life!, host Abel Akara Ticha speaks with three leaders at the center of this effort:

· Honorable Joseph Munsanje, Member of Parliament for Mbabala and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Health

· Honorable Christopher Kang’ombe, Member of Parliament for Kitwe and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Caucus on Immunization

· Friday Nkhoma, Manager of Advocacy Planning and Development at the Churches Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ)

Together, they discuss how the CDF is being deployed to strengthen reliable cold chains for vaccines, power health facility equipment and mobilize community volunteers, as well as how CHAZ is translating constituency-level successes into national advocacy. Join us to understand how Zambia is turning local political will into a replicable national model and what a fully domesticated immunization program could look like by 2030.

In 2024 and 2025, Kenya faced a severe vaccine stockout crisis, prompting a critical question in Parliament: When caregivers must cross borders to find routine vaccines, how many others are left behind? On February 5, 2026, stakeholders gathered in Nairobi to move from assigning blame to building sustainable solutions.

In this episode of "One Shot, Long Life," host Abel Akara Ticha takes us inside that dialogue with three key leaders: Dr. Rose Jalang'o (Manager, Kenya’s National Vaccines and Immunization Program), Ms. Risper Chebet (Global Health Advocacy Incubator’s Africa Regional Coordinator on Vaccine Availability) and Global Health Journalist Dorcas Wangira.

Together, they explore the root causes of stockouts—from delayed procurement to financing gaps—and the path forward as Kenya prepares for the end of Gavi support in 2029. Dr. Jalang'o argues that vaccine availability is not just a technical challenge, but a "public confidence issue," while Ms. Chebet highlights the need for better forecasting and coordination under the next five-year program of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. ." Meanwhile, Ms. Wangira sheds light on the media’s role in holding power to account and combatting the misinformation that drives vaccine hesitancy.

Join us to understand how civil society, government and media are collaborating to ensure that supply chains remain strong and communities remain confident. As the team discusses, stockouts are not inevitable. They are the result of choices about budgets, priorities and trust.

Zambia is facing a critical immunization gap. Coverage for children under one has plummeted from approximately 84% in 2021 to just 64% in 2023, leaving many of the 700,000 babies born annually vulnerable. This decline is happening as the country faces a stark financial reality: a transition from Gavi support which requires it to increase its co-payment for critical vaccines as per its agreement with Gavi from the outset, and projected general annual vaccine costs approaching $35 million by 2030, taking into due to population increase, increased vaccine costs and the introduction of new vaccines (such as the one against malaria).

In response, Zambia’s lawmakers have formed a groundbreaking parliamentary caucus for immunization financing.

In this episode of "One Shot, Long Life!", host Abel Akara Ticha speaks with the architects of this new strategy:

• Hon. Christopher Kang’ombe, Chair of Zambia’s National Assembly Committee on Health
• Wesley Kampaya Mwambazi, GHAI’s In-Country Coordinator
• Mwila Musonda, Advocacy Officer for the Churches Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ)

They discuss how this bipartisan caucus will use legislative power to address systemic challenges, from low budget execution rates and high vaccine wastage to the need for innovative domestic financing.

Join us to learn how Zambia is turning political will into legislative action to secure a healthy future for every child.