Zambia - Country Background

Zambia a former English Colony that gained independence in 1962, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered by eight countries, many of which have turbulent histories or are currently unstable. It is situated in South Central Africa to the East of Angola and forms part of the Southern African region.  Although politically stable itself, Zambia is one of the world’s most indebted countries. Zambia was rated 165th (out of 177 countries) on the Human Development Index. 

Today, three-quarters of Zambia's population lives below the World Bank poverty threshold of $1 a day. Some 85% of Zambians work the country's relatively infertile soil as subsistence farmers and commercial agriculture is mostly confined to a small number of large farms. Moreover, AIDS is blamed for decreasing the number of Zambian professionals and malaria remains a major problem. Twenty percent of the adult population lives with AIDS, which affects one in four adults in cities according to UNAIDS. Twenty years after the first case of AIDS was diagnosed, Zambians continue to live in fear and confusion when it comes to acknowledging the epidemic. The disease has orphaned approximately 1 Million children.

Since independence in 1964, the Zambian Government has realized the need for concerted efforts towards the development of education. The need for such efforts is needed today more than ever before.  The country's educational system faces a great burden because more than half of Zambians are fifteen years old or younger and literacy rates are not improving.   Additionally, educational infrastructure is inadequate, teacher training is not sufficient, and there is an under-representation of girls, mainly at the secondary school level.  As part of the government’s poverty reduction plan, the Ministry of Education committed to improving education standards in the country to address these realities.

Overall, the Government of Zambia is taking positive steps towards addressing the poverty issues that affect the country, including enhancing educational systems and prioritizing HIV and AIDS prevention methods.