Extreme poverty in Zambia causes numerous problems. According to 2015 statistics in the CIA World Factbook, more than a third of Zambians do not have access to improved water systems, a percentage that leaps to 48 percent in rural locations. The same is true for sanitation; 56 percent of Zambians — including 64 percent of rural residents — lack safe, clean toilets in or near their homes. These two obstacles alone cause disease, school absenteeism, shorter life spans and malnutrition. Zambia is considered a lower middle-income country, but this designation masks the poverty in rural areas, where unemployment is high, particularly for young people.
Despite these issues, Zambia has some net positives: a stable elected government and significant economic growth in its recent past. Not everyone sees the benefits because public debt is large, and its population suffers under the burden of an extremely high birth rate (an average of more than five children per woman) and a relatively high rate of HIV and AIDS.
ChildFund Zambia works with government ministries and other child-focused organizations to protect children’s rights, including keeping them safe from abuse and early marriage. We also collaborate with other organizations to prevent the spread of AIDS, care for orphaned children, provide family-planning education and increase literacy and numeracy rates. Our youth-focused programs give teens and young adults the tools and training they need to find good jobs in Zambia’s tight economy.