Putting mothers and children first
Girls in Zambia are expected to become mothers at a young age, but motherhood often puts their health at great risk. Sixty-four out of every 10,000 women die during pregnancy or childbirth. We can’t change the culture that drives young girls to become mothers, but we can help safeguard their health.
Our Safe Motherhood program ensures that mothers and mothers-to-be have access to healthcare facilities for prenatal visits, emergencies and births. The facilities also serve babies and children under the age of five. Under the Maternal and Child Health program funded by Irish AID through ChildFund Ireland, this program has been extended to two new districts, Masaiti and Nyimba, and supports increasing the capacity of healthcare providers, infrastructure development, medical equipment support and strengthening partnerships among the communities, ChildFund Zambia and Zambia's Ministry of Health.
Malaria is another grave health risk for the people of Zambia. It is the leading cause of death in children under five. The reason for this startling statistic is lack of information. In collaboration with the Zambian government, we are educating people from the Chongwe district as to how to prevent malaria. One strategy, which we are able to offer for free or at a reduced cost, are bed nets to keep out mosquitoes that carry this fatal disease.
We believe that the availability of clean water brings about stability in communities. As a result, this stability gives people the opportunity to benefit from our other programs, such as health, education and food security. However, many mothers must spend hours of their day walking to the well and waiting in long lines, just to get clean, safe water for their families. Or they must send their children to get the water, which often that results in children missing school.
“My daughters can easily get water, wash the plates and still manage to go to school.” – Monica, mother of eight, who now has a well closer to home.
Educating and supporting the children
Since 1983, we have been strongly invested in the education of Zambia’s children. We’ve constructed classrooms and provided teaching and learning materials and classroom furniture. However, our commitment has extended beyond financial support. We’ve also worked to encourage parents and local education administrators to increase children’s involvement in school activities.
We also support proper nutrition in Zambia. By providing a supplementary feeding program for malnourished children under the age of five and helping farmers' cooperatives promote food security, we are helping to keep families fed and allowing them to raise healthier children.
Because goats reproduce quickly and are not prone to as many diseases as other livestock, goat rearing is an effective strategy for Zambians to create income. Our affiliate, Mumbwa Child Development Agency, has created the Goat Pass program to teach families to rear and sell goats. The agency provided each of 360 families with four female goats with each male goat shared by 20 families. When offspring are produced, the families pass on the first four females to families waiting to become involved in the program. To provide a source of income to 1,000 youth, the Youth Agriculture Marketing and Production program in the Chongwe district helps improve their production and marketing skills.
We are providing the people of Zambia with successful strategies for improving their health, education and overall well-being. Help us make a significant difference in this country.
