Mary’s Meals reaches more than 400,000 children every school day in Zambia
Life in Zambia
Zambia is currently ranked 154 out of 191 countries and territories in the Human Development Index (HDI). Around 61% of the population lives below the international poverty line ($2.15 USD a day).
Rates of malnutrition, poverty and food insecurity are high in Zambia. It is estimated that one million people have insufficient food consumption and – with survival taking precedence over education – many primary school-age children drop out of school early.
Zambia is a landlocked country situated on a plateau in south-central Africa. It takes its name from the Zambezi River, which starts in Zambia and flows through countries including Angola, Namibia and Botswana, before meeting the Indian Ocean. Zambia is bordered by Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique and Malawi.
Mary's Meals in Zambia
Mary’s Meals has been serving school meals to children in Zambia since 2014 and the programme has grown significantly in recent years.
We are the main provider of school meals in the 11 districts where we operate in the Eastern Province: Chadiza, Chasefu, Chipangali, Chipata, Kasenengwa, Katete, Lumezi, Lundazi, Mambwe, Sinda, and Vubwi. We work in collaboration with representatives from the Zambian Ministry of Education and other key stakeholders.
We are currently providing more than 400,000 children across the country with daily meals in school with the help of dedicated volunteer cooks.