Zambart’s Adaptations To Strengthen Healthcare Delivery and Resilience to Extreme Weather Events in Southern Africa (ASTRA) is currently holding its two-day consortium meeting, which commenced on 26 February 2026. The primary objective of this first consortium meeting is to review progress made thus far and align on the next phases of implementation. Four PhD students from South Africa, Zambia, and the United Kingdom presented their research ideas.
The ASTRA study employs interdisciplinary approaches to propose, prioritise, and evaluate feasible interventions aimed at strengthening community and health system resilience to Extreme Weather Events (EWEs). The project specifically focuses on vulnerable populations living with HIV and/or tuberculosis in Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia. Using a mixed-methods design, the study seeks to develop and evaluate interventions that enhance healthcare delivery and resilience during periods of extreme weather disruption across the three participating countries.
The study has several key objectives. These include systematically engaging communities, health service implementers, and policymakers from health-determining sectors to prioritise needs and co-design interventions that strengthen health service delivery within the context of EWEs. The project will also conduct community and health service delivery vulnerability and adaptive capacity assessments to establish health-related EWE vulnerability baselines. Through this collaborative and evidence-driven approach, ASTRA seeks to generate practical, scalable solutions that enhance healthcare continuity and resilience in the face of climate-related challenges in Southern Africa.
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