Direct Relief's Activities in Zambia
Zambia is located in southern Africa, to the east of Angola. According to the United Nations Human Development Report, Zambia is the poorest nation in the world with 87.2 percent of its population of 11.7 million living on less than US $2 per day. Forty-five percent of Zambians lack sustainable access to safe sanitation and 42 percent lack sustainable access to safe water supplies. Zambia has the lowest life expectancy at 40.5 years. Infant mortality rate is high at 102 deaths per 1,000 live births and 730 women die in childbirth for every 100,000 deliveries. Zambia’s HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is also extremely high at 17 percent positively diagnosed.
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Other key public health problems include respiratory infections and malaria.
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Direct Relief has provided over $8.3 million (wholesale) in medical material assistance to Zambia since 2000, focusing on maternal child health and medical supplies.
Direct Relief’s key partner in Zambia is the Mansa General Hospital, located in the Luapula Province in the northern area of the country. Its facility has 404 beds and emphasizes pediatric, neonatal, and maternal care. It is the main referral hospital in a district of over one million people. Through the special efforts of Mansa’s pediatrician, Dr. Jerome Sulubani, and in partnership with the Mansa Rotary Club, Direct Relief has also been able to distribute medical supplies including analgesics, antibiotics, anti-infectives, and surgical supplies through the Luapula Province Project. The project targets several other hospitals in the province, including Lubwe Mission Hospital, Kasaba Hospital, Mambilima Hospital, St. Paul Mission Hospital, Kawambwa Hospital, and Mbereshi Hospital. Many of these facilities provide care to the large population of refugees and internally displaced persons in Zambia.
Direct Relief's Partners in Zambia
Angel of Mercy
Kasaba Mission Hospital
Kawambwa Hospital
Lubwe Mission Hospital
Lusaka District Health Management
Mambilima Mission Hospital
Mansa General Hospital
Mbereshi Mission Hospital
Samfya District Hospital
St. Francis Katete Mission Hospital
St. Paul's Mission Hospital
Zambia Helper's Society