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Zambia

Our Work in Country

Americares has provided assistance to Zambia through a variety of partners since 2004. We have worked with partners to deliver medicine, medical supplies, and hygiene items to support the health and wellbeing of underserved and vulnerable populations across the country.

Our Work with our Partners

Americares currently partners with Prison Fellowship Zambia (PFZ), an affiliate of Prison Fellowship International. Prison Fellowship Zambia is Zambia’s foremost prisoner rehabilitation organization working in 47 correctional facilities, in partnership with the Zambia Correctional Service and Ministry of Health. Currently, in 16 of these prisons, Prison Fellowship Zambia works with a variety of international organizations to implement HIV/AIDS treatment programs and provide high-quality and free medical and mental health services to prisoners. Prison Fellowship Zambia firmly believes that inmates are entitled to human rights, health equity, and social justice, in the same way all humans are. Americares values these principles as well as health as a human right, and through partnership with PFZ, Americares is taking a deliberate step forward to respond to the systemically ignored rights and health needs of Zambian prisoners. Also, this is in line with Americares cross-cutting programmatic work in health equity.

Americares medical Gift-in-Kind donations are used to support a variety of Prison Fellowship Zambia’s clinical programs, as well as health education and awareness efforts. Americares and Prison Fellowship Zambia both recognize that good prisoner health means good public health and that prisons are key communities in which public health interventions need to be focused.

Finally, Americares provides medicine and medical supplies to U.S.-licensed medical professionals traveling to Zambia on medical missions through our Medical Outreach Program.

$3.7 Million

Total Aid

11 Tons

Shipments

268,0000

Course Treatments of Medicines

Health Snapshot*

Zambia was ranked 143 out of 189 counties on the UNDPs Human Development Index in 2019.High levels of poverty in Zambia means there are few resources available for families and communities to invest in health prevention and treatment. This is especially the case for the more than 76,000 refugees and asylum-seekers that UNHCR estimates Zambia is hosting.

Malnutrition and HIV are two of the major issues facing the population in Zambia. UNDP reports that 40% of children under the age of five in Zambia suffer from moderate or severe stunting, due to malnutrition. Furthermore, an estimated 11.5% of the population between ages 15 and 49 are HIV positive. Increased access to health facilities, trained staff, medicines, medical supplies, and nutritional supplements are some of the key elements needed to improve such health indicators in Zambia.

  • Total expenditure on health as a percentage of GDP: 5%
  • Life expectancy of 60 years for men and 64 years for women
  • 20 hospital beds per 10,000 people

*Health snapshot and prison population statistics from UNHCR, UNICEF, UNDP, HRW, HRC, NIH, prisonstudies.org and WHO

Health worker interviewing a prisoner In Zambia

A Vulnerable Population*

Regarding health needs, prisoners represent one particularly vulnerable and forgotten population. While the prison system in Zambia had an official capacity of 8,250 as of 2017, in 2019 it housed over 22,800, many of whom have never been convicted or are awaiting trial. Overcrowding, malnutrition, infectious diseases including TB and HIV, scarce medical care, violence, and inadequate hygiene facilities are just a few of the challenges facing men, women, and children in these prisons every day.  Of note, infectious diseases, including COVID-19, are known to spread particularly quickly in confined prison settings around the world.

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Health Makes Everything Possible

Our Impact with Your Giving Dollar
Generous donors make all our achievements possible. We are able to respond to more disasters, expand our health programs and save more lives because of the individuals, foundations and corporations that trust Americares to improve the lives of people in the United States and around the world.