Relief efforts in Zambia
CARE began working in Zambia in 1992 in response to severe regional drought and extreme poverty. Since then, CARE has expanded into long-term development programs across rural and peri-urban areas. Today, CARE works across five provinces: Eastern, Luapula, Northwestern, Western, and Southern. CARE partners with government ministries, civil society organizations, and local communities to tackle both urgent needs and longer-term challenges.
In health and nutrition, CARE works with communities to improve access to maternal, child, and adolescent health services. CARE delivers the SHE SOARS program with Restless Development, Live Well, and the Ministry of Health. It gives young people accurate health information, mentorship, and safe spaces to make informed decisions about their lives.
Through the Scaling Up Nutrition Fund, CARE works with the Ministry of Health, the National Food and Nutrition Commission, and the United Nations Children’s Fund. Together, they promote better feeding practices and help prevent malnutrition and stunting (delayed physical growth) in young children.
Zambia faces recurring droughts and floods that threaten food security and people’s incomes. CARE’s Farmer Field and Business Schools equip smallholder farmers with practical skills in farming, storing and processing crops after harvest, and market access. Women are a particular focus.
CARE also works with local partners Nutri-Aid Trust and the Alliance for Nutrition and Reconstruction to help farming communities adapt to changing weather patterns and protect their land and water sources.
CARE’s education work focuses on foundational learning and alternative pathways for young people. The INTANDA (Morning Star) project, implemented with Children Sentinel Trust Zambia (CSTZ), supports children under six with early learning, literacy, and numeracy. It also helps families access savings groups and local markets. The SOAR Nyenyezi project, also with CSTZ, reaches rural children through a fast-track learning approach and mobile libraries. It also supports out-of-school adolescents to return to education.
The Education and Alternative Pathways for Girls Empowerment and Retention in Zambia – EAGER project, implemented with the Ministry of Education, CSTZ, and the Forum for African Women Educationalists of Zambia, helps adolescent girls and young mothers who have dropped out of school. It offers learning support, life skills, school re-entry, and vocational training.
When emergencies hit Zambia, CARE is always there to respond. During the 2023–24 drought, cholera outbreaks, and other emergencies, CARE delivered cash assistance, clean water, hygiene supplies, and agricultural inputs to affected families. The Women Lead in Emergencies program gives women-led groups decision-making power during crises. CARE works with local partners including the Choma District Women’s Association, the Mambwe District Women’s Association, and My Helping Hands Foundation to strengthen local networks and help families rebuild.
CARE puts women and girls at the center of its work in Zambia and partners with women-led organizations and community groups to strengthen women’s leadership. Men and boys are engaged through community dialogue to shift social norms that hold women back. To achieve this and support community accountability and advocacy, CARE works with organizations such as Volunteers Welfare for Community Based Care and the Zambia National Traditional Counsellors Association.
