Welcome to Plan Zambia

Zambia is a landlocked country located in South Central Africa. It is one of the most urbanised countries in Africa, with half of the population living in its cities.

For years, copper has been the main export of Zambia. Unfortunately, with the fall in copper prices, Zambia has had to look elsewhere for export products. The government has attempted to diversify into agriculture, but drought has affected both the economy and the health of the population.

Plan worked with more than 12,000 children and their families and communities last year to implement long-term projects.  We have also been helping to provide emergency food relief to families across five communities who were most affected by a poor harvest, largely due to low rainfall, which has led to widespread food shortages. 

Although Plan is not a relief organisation, in the face of looming famine affecting communities where we are already working, we have naturally been working with local partners to respond to immediate needs, distributing food supplies and nutritional supplements. To address food security problems in the longer term, we are focusing on promoting various farming techniques including crop rotation and soil improvement. It is likely, however, that food aid will continue to be needed for some months to come.

About children's lives in Zambia

For information about chidren's lives in Zambia, including extensive indicators, please see UNICEF's report "The State of the World's Children 2008: Child Survival" (4.3mb | 164 pages)
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