In a foreign country amidst conflict, where echoes of gunfire and uncertainty fill the air, a beacon of hope emerged. Meet Sergeant Passina Moono Hachambwa, a brave and dedicated Zambia Police Officer who went beyond her call of duty to help a desperate pregnant woman deliver.
Without midwifery qualifications, Sergeant Hachambwa, while on her peacekeeping mission in Malakal, Upper Nile State, South Sudan, summoned her inner courage to perform midwifery work on a pregnant woman—work she had never undertaken in her entire life. This was after an assessment revealed that either the baby, the mother, or both could be endangered if the arrival of an ambulance was further delayed.
Born in 1985 in Ndola, a town in the Copperbelt Province, and a mother of three vibrant girls, Sergeant Hachambwa joined the Zambia Police Service as a recruit constable in 2011 at the Zambia Police Training College in Lilayi. She was initially deployed to Chingola Central Police Station on the Copperbelt before being transferred to Chiwempala Police Station. She was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2021.
In 2022, Sergeant Hachambwa underwent the Selection Assistance and Assessment Team (SAAT) process and was among the qualified police officers selected and deployed to South Sudan under the United Nations Peacekeeping mission as Individual Police Officers (IPOs).
While far from home, Hachambwa remained passionate about advocating for peace and human rights. She believes that peace at home should be peace everywhere.Her duties in the mission included protecting civilians from threats of physical violence, monitoring and reporting abuses, supporting the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement, conducting patrols, and performing static beat duties.
On 13th September 2023, Hachambwa’s ability to prove her worth was put to the test. While on her static beat at Juliet Gate, she was alerted to an urgent situation: a woman in labour was found in the nearby bushes. In response, she swiftly instructed some of the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) to bring the expectant mother to the gate.
The woman was engulfed in pain and could neither walk nor talk but only cry. Hachambwa, together with her counterparts, secured a nearby container for privacy while the normal procedures of reporting and contacting the ambulance were being followed. Unfortunately, the ambulance was significantly delayed.
Recognizing the critical nature of the situation, Hachambwa, a mother of three, with only life-saving skills acquired from Lilayi, assessed the situation and realized the woman would give birth before the ambulance arrived.
Without hesitation, she set aside concerns about the consequences of failed maternity work. Her mind was focused on saving a life, so she instructed one of the IDPs nearby to buy a razor blade for the impending childbirth. She made the woman lay properly and carefully assisted her in delivering a seemingly healthy baby boy.
Twenty minutes later, the long-awaited ambulance arrived and transported both the mother and her newborn baby to the medical facility for further care.
This heartwarming tale of compassion and courage is a testament to the power of humanity in the darkest of times.
Like wildfire, the news spread, and the United Nations Department of Peace Operations Under-Secretary-General, Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, from Headquarters in New York, heard of it. He immediately sent a message of appreciation to Hachambwa for her compassion and bravery in assisting the safe birth of a child and her tireless efforts in coordinating with ambulance services.
“Your actions exemplify the essence of humanity. They saved lives and embodied the core values of United Nations Peacekeeping. I applaud your extraordinary commitment, which undoubtedly enhanced the confidence of the local community,” Mr. Lacroix stated in his congratulatory message.
Back home, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Graphel Musamba, expressed admiration for the confidence and decisiveness shown by Sergeant Hachambwa. The Police Chief said it was gratifying to note that Zambia Police officers continue to raise the Zambian flag high in missions abroad. Mr. Musamba added that women in peacekeeping missions bring a unique layer to the operation and that the police command is striving to increase the number of individual police officers in peacekeeping missions, with women playing a crucial role.
[Zambia Police Service]
She has internationally recognized name for any assignment.
SO ????
Great achievement by a lady police officer. All the same, I think the UN is mishandling South Sudan. There’s a lot of nation-building work to be done in that country. This involves promoting a sense of citizenship among people from various communities. This is no easy task. It was not easy for European nations to become stable modern nations after centuries of feudalism. The UN thinks that once it has supervised a national election, then yesterday’s warlords can begin to respect human rights, negotiate contracts which advance the national interest with sleek international business
executives. How can this possibly happen? Somehow the UN expects positive results.
That has never been the UN’s mandate. The DRC has cruelly discovered the UN wont pull it by the nose to a peaceful settlement. Nation-building is each country’s own initiative
Bravo our women in the army. This is the second such story Iam reading on LT about how our women officers on international duty go out of the way to display the most wonderful side of our humanity. Viva Sgt Hachambwa! Viva Zambia!
And she’s got such a lovely infectious smile. See how the one behind her is appreciating her. I really wish Sgt Hachambwa was my wife!
Ba LT naimwe stop misplacing adjectives. Reading your story what I see exemplified in the lady’s actions is rather diligence or initiative – not bravery.
With such a broad disarming smile ,now i manifestly see where its all coming from – from her heart.