The Zambia child sponsorship programme is under
construction, we are seeking assistance from a Christian Primary
School in the Caribbean to twin with a Zambian school.
Schooling
usually falls into three levels: Primary (Years 1 to 7), Junior
Secondary (Years 8 to 9) and Upper Secondary (Years 10 to 12). So-called
"Basic" schools teach Years 1 to 9, as Year 9 is considered
to be a decent level of schooling for the majority of children;
however, schooling is only free up to Year 7 and most children drop
out then.
Both government and private schools exist in Zambia. The private
school system began largely as a result of Christian mission efforts
during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Over 70% percent of Zambians live in poverty. Per capita annual
incomes are currently at about one-half their levels at independence
and, at $395, place the country among the world's poorest nations.
Social indicators continue to decline, particularly in measurements
of life expectancy at birth (about thirty-seven years) and maternal
mortality (729 per 100,000 pregnancies). The country's rate of economic
growth cannot support rapid population growth or the strain which
HIV/AIDS related issues (i.e. rising medical costs, decline in worker
productivity) place on government resources. Zambia isalso one of
sub-Saharan Africa's most highly urbanized countries. Almost one-half
of the country's eleven million people are concentrated in a few
urban zones strung along the major transportation corridors, while
rural areas are sparsely populated. Unemployment and underemployment
are serious problems.
HIV/AIDS is the nation's greatest problem, with 17% prevalence among
the adult population. HIV/AIDS will continue to ravage Zambian economic,
political, cultural, and social development for the foreseeable
future.
