The Home-Based Care program is founded on the Biblical principle of helping others in need (1 John , Matthew 25:34-36). The Home-Based Care program prepares members for service by training congregation HBC teams in the areas of basic health education, spiritual counseling, disease prevention, care and basic treatment. Before they are trained, the teams are asked to organize themselves and identify patients that need home-care assistance in their neighborhoods. Three teams requested such training from the H&D team in 2008: Malembo Onse (Chongwe), St. Peter’s Kamanga (Chelston), and Mt. Sinai (Linda). The total number trained was nineteen. These teams were given health kits, t-shirts, bicycles, and Chichewa Bibles to assist them in their work as volunteer caregivers. In November, the teams were also given small grants to assist them in developing income generating projects to assist the team with purchasing supplies for their patients. Another team was started in Northwestern Province where fifteen members received part 1 of the training and are preparing to finish part 2 in 2009. A fifth team in Southern Province is scheduled to start the training in 2009.
In addition to Zambia, the HBC program extended into Zimbabwe upon the request of the Lutheran church in Zimbabwe. Two trainings in basic health theory were held in Gokwe, Zimbabwe during 2008. The two congregations participating in the program are St. Davids and Rukukwe. In March 2009, the teams received the final training in practical care-giving skills and start assisting the elderly and chronically ill in their area.
