Zambia Rainbow Development Foundation

Improving education, healthcare, agricultural support and financial services for families struggling to cope with the impact of HIV & AIDS.

Working in the remote communities of Mkushi and Luano, in Zambia’s Central Province, the Zambia Rainbow Development Foundation (ZRDF) aims to improve the quality of life for families struggling to cope with the impact of HIV & AIDS. Across Zambia, over 55% of the population lives on less than $1.90 a day.

ZRDF's current Egmont-funded project seeks to address the specific challenges these communities face in accessing quality education, healthcare, agricultural support, and financial services, by promoting community-led responses.

ZRDF is working with seven rural schools to improve education quality and access for 3,450 learners by strengthening their Parent Teacher Committees, providing safeguarding training, running attendance and debate competitions for pupils and providing seeds, trees and other farming materials to support the provision of meals for students.

To boost small scale farmers' productivity - and incomes and food security - ZRDF is training 250 farmers in the production of high value crops and climate smart agriculture. A further 100 bee-keepers are being trained in processing and packaging honey for value addition. Household heads are also being trained in financial literacy and inducted into savings groups where they can save for the future and access small loans.

Additionally, ZRDF is building the capacity and skills of four rural health centres and their community health volunteers in providing care and support for their local areas, including increasing awareness of good nutrition, monitoring infant and young children's growth and providing antenatal care for expectant mothers. Health centres are also being supported to provide education for adolescents on menstrual health and HIV prevention and care.