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Proactive Disclosure
Zambia
CIDA-funded projects in Zambia
Overview
Zambia is a stable southern African country with a population of about 12 million. Six out of ten Zambians are under 25 years of age. Approximately 61 percent of Zambians live in rural areas. One out of three lives on less than US$1.25/day. Zambia ranks 164 out of 187 countries on the United Nations Development Programme's 2011 human development index.Zambia is likely to meet the Millennium Development Goal targets of halving the proportion of its people who suffer from hunger, providing universal primary education and halting the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015. It has also reduced maternal and child mortality.
In 2008, Zambia cemented its democratic credentials with a presidential by-election judged free and fair by observers. The country is striving to implement an anti-corruption policy and increase the transparency of financial management systems.
The 2008 global financial crisis caused a steep fall in price and demand for Zambia's primary export, copper, reducing government revenue and causing significant job losses. The Government of Zambia has responded with appropriate fiscal and monetary policies, and social programs have been protected.
Thematic Focus
CIDA's programming in Zambia is closely aligned with Zambia's poverty reduction strategy for 2006-2010, The Fifth National Development Plan (PDF, 4 MB, 402 pages), which aims to reduce poverty and improve access to basic services.The goal of CIDA's program in Zambia is to help the country secure a future for children and youth by improving health systems and maternal and child health.
Children and youth
CIDA continues to focus on helping Zambia increase the quality and number of front-line health workers and ensuring equitable health services in underserved regions of the country. This includes strengthening the capacities of community health volunteers, health workers and managers at the district, provincial and national levels, and improving the integrated management of childhood diseases. CIDA works through organizations such as UNICEF and CARE while the Government of Zambia implements necessary reforms to the Ministry of Health's procurement and financial management systems.
Selected examples of expected results
- Pay and working and living conditions will be improved for 800 health workers in rural areas
- Up to 10 nursing schools will be improved
- At least 80 percent of children under five years of age will be immunized against preventable childhood diseases
- At least 50 percent of births will be supervised by skilled health workers, particularly in rural areas
Progress on Aid Effectiveness
Zambia adheres to the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness (PDF, 317 KB, 23 pages). Sixteen donors, including Canada, have prepared a joint assistance strategy (PDF, 1 MB, 95 pages) to harmonize and align donor assistance with the country's development plan. The Government of Zambia has shown strong local ownership and is committed to monitoring and reporting on aid effectiveness.
Accomplishments 2009-2010
Children and youth- Trained more than 1,000 volunteer child health promoters in a new approach to improve community outreach and disease prevention, as well as in planning and budgeting for health services related to common childhood illnesses
- Helped develop a rural retention scheme―now fully funded by the Government of Zambia―so that 870 much-needed health professionals are working as close to rural families as possible
- Increased immunization coverage of Zambian children against preventable childhood diseases to 85 percent
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