Zambia

The Republic of Zambia is a landlocked country in central-southern Africa, full of dramatic natural beauty and astonishing wildlife. Most visitors would come to see the majestic Victoria Falls but leave with new insight into another of Zambia’s true wonders – the resilience and strength of a people grappling with extreme poverty.

After a period of steady economic growth in the early 2000s, Zambia’s economy came under strain during 2015 and 2016, largely due to a combination of falling global copper prices, severe power outages, and low rainfall. As the economy contracted, the already low average wages of workers fell, with the gross national income per capita reported at just US$3,960 in 2020. Economic conditions worsened in 2020-2021 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Of the country’s 20 million people, more than 58% live below the income poverty line, with this figure rising to 78.8% in rural areas. These figures are expected to worsen due to the 2023-2024 drought in many parts of the country.

Many of the poorest people live in households headed by women. Women experience high degrees of domestic violence, and child marriage is still commonly practised, especially in rural areas. Customary land tenure and inheritance can also disadvantage women. Yet women are largely responsible for food production and many other income-generating activities and household duties, while men often migrate to urban areas in search of employment.

Our Partner

The five Anglican Dioceses in Zambia (the Anglican Church in Zambia) are currently part of the Province of Central Africa. They are applying to the Anglican Consultative Council for recognition as an autonomous province.

ABM partners with St John’s Seminary in Kitwe through our Church to Church work. AID partners with the church’s development and social service arm, Zambia Anglican Council Outreach Program (ZACOP) in two dioceses – Eastern and Luapula.

The Zambian church is strongly committed to advocacy about Zambia’s pressing social issues. They work from the pulpit and in the communities to improve outcomes for children and women and to address environmental degradation.

The Work We Support

1. St John’s Seminary in Kitwe

To read about theological education supported by ABM in Zambia, please click here.

2. Zambia Anglican Council Outreach Program (ZACOP)

ABM AID supports ZACOP to address gender-based violence and empower women, especially in rural areas. ZACOP sees gender-based violence as a problem for the whole community, and this belief undergirds their approach to tackling the issues.

In Eastern Zambia’s Kalwani community, Headwoman Joyce Banda is thrilled with the results. Not only are savings and loans groups improving livelihoods—particularly for women—but the community has also been energised by training and meetings to complete a school that teaches reading, writing, and numeracy up to grade 3. Joyce herself, along with five others, has enrolled in the school to learn to read and write, recognising the importance of literacy in leadership: “Everything needs reading and writing. As a leader, that is my motivation,” she says.

In Luapula, Miriam’s life has been transformed by the skills she learned as a Gender Action Group promoter. She used these tools to confront the violence and alcoholism in her own marriage. Thanks to ZACOP’s Gender Equality project, her husband has gradually changed, and their marriage is no longer plagued by violence. “He is not as he used to be,” Miriam shares, reflecting on the progress they’ve made.

The program also mobilises men to work together to challenge anti-social behaviours and become role models to other men.

How You Can Help

You can contribute to this work to eliminate gender-based violence and create greater gender equality:

• $30 can provide seed funding and entrepreneurial skills for a person with a disability or gender-based violence survivor as part of a Savings with Education group
• $62 can train a member of a community Gender Action Group in ZACOP’s policy on Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment
• $160 can equip a peer educator to teach a community over 9 monthly sessions about ending gender-based violence through dramatic performances

Your gift makes a positive difference to vulnerable Zambian communities, empowering leaders to guide their communities towards lasting changes that combat gender-based violence and enable women and families to thrive as God intended.