Fresh Paint, Fresh Hope: How ZIM and G. Rutherford Are Brightening UTH

 By Alain Kabinda

The walls at the University Teaching Hospitals (UTH) have absorbed decades of human emotion. They have listened to the cries of newborn babies, the anxious whispers of families waiting for test results, the footsteps of nurses rushing through midnight corridors, and the silent prayers of patients hoping for recovery.

For many Zambians, UTH is not just a hospital; it is a place where life changes. It is where fear meets hope. Where exhaustion meets resilience. Where healing begins.

This week, those familiar walls received an unexpected gift: the promise of renewal.

The Zambia Institute of Marketing (ZIM), in partnership with Rutherford, handed over paint and painting accessories worth K43,000 to Zambia’s largest referral hospital. On paper, the donation is a modest contribution of paint, brushes, rollers, and related materials. In reality, it is something far more meaningful—a gesture of dignity, care, and solidarity.

Hospitals are often judged by the quality of their doctors, nurses, medicines, and equipment. Yet the physical environment also speaks powerfully to those who enter it.

A clean ward can calm anxiety. A bright corridor can lift a weary spirit. A well-maintained room can remind a patient that they are valued. Health professionals around the world increasingly recognize that healing is influenced not only by treatment but also by the spaces in which treatment is delivered.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, G. Rutherford Outdoor Advertising Head Sales and Marketing Ms. Nyari Muchakaneyi captured this idea simply and clearly.

                             (Ms. Nyari Muchakaneyi)

“We believe that a clean and well-maintained environment contributes to healing and the overall wellbeing of patients,” she said.

Her words resonated beyond the ceremony. Anyone who has spent time in a hospital understands that surroundings matter. For a mother sitting beside a sick child, for a patient recovering after surgery, or for a healthcare worker completing a twelve-hour shift, a fresh wall can feel like a fresh beginning.

UTH serves thousands of patients every month from across Zambia. Its wards, clinics, and emergency departments carry an enormous burden. Buildings age quickly under constant use, and maintaining such a large institution is a continuous challenge.

Receiving the donation, UTH Senior Superintendent Dr. Charles Mbewe emphasized that seemingly small contributions can have a significant impact.

                                 (Dr. Charles Mbewe)

“Paint and accessories may seem small, but they play a big role in maintaining a clean, dignified and healing environment for our patients,” he said.

His statement reflected a reality familiar to many public health institutions: every improvement counts. A brighter ward does not solve every challenge facing the health sector, but it improves the experience of those who pass through it.

For ZIM, the initiative was not simply an act of charity. It was an expression of corporate citizenship and professional responsibility.

Zambia Institute of Marketing (ZIM) Registrar and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr. Danny Chanda said the donation formed part of the institution’s corporate social responsibility activities.

                                      (Dr. Danny Chanda)

“As an institution that trains marketers, we understand the importance of branding, environment, and corporate citizenship,” he said.

His comments offered an interesting perspective on the role of marketing in society. Marketers are often associated with advertising campaigns, brand visibility, and consumer engagement. Yet at its core, marketing is also about shaping experiences and creating positive perceptions. In this case, the skills and values associated with marketing are being applied to a public hospital, helping to improve how patients and staff experience their environment.

The partnership with G.Rutherford demonstrates how private organizations can combine resources and expertise to support public institutions in practical ways.

What makes this story compelling is not the monetary value of the contribution but the message behind it. The donation tells patients that their comfort matters. It tells nurses, doctors, cleaners, and support staff that their workplace deserves care and attention. It tells the public that businesses can contribute meaningfully to national wellbeing.

Dr. Mbewe used the occasion to challenge other organizations to follow the example.

“We call on other corporate institutions to emulate this example,” he said.

His appeal speaks to a broader truth: government cannot meet every need alone. Sustainable development often emerges from partnerships between public institutions, private companies, professional bodies, and communities.

In the coming weeks, workers will begin applying fresh coats of paint to selected areas like laundry section of UTH . Patients may notice brighter walls. Visitors may notice cleaner corridors. Staff may notice a renewed atmosphere in the spaces where they work every day.

But beneath the new paint lies something less visible and perhaps more important—a renewed sense of hope.

Zambia’s health sector is increasingly being strengthened through partnerships involving infrastructure, equipment, training, technology, and community support. This donation adds another dimension to that effort by reminding us that compassion can also be expressed through the environment we create for one another.

Sometimes development is measured in buildings and machines. Sometimes it is measured in the quiet dignity of a patient room that feels cared for.

As fresh color spreads across the walls of UTH, it will carry more than pigment. It will carry a message from ZIM and G. Rutherford Outdoor Advertising to every patient, family member, and healthcare worker who passes through those corridors of UTH.