Zambia

Amref has worked in Zambia since the 1970s, providing essential health services and training health workers to bring about lasting health change.

Amref in Zambia

Amref has worked in Zambia since the 1970s, when we worked with the government to establish the Zambia Flying Doctor Service. Since then, Amref has developed core programmes in health worker training, and technical support for laboratory services. Today, Amref Zambia runs programmes across all 10 provinces of Zambia from head office in Lusaka.

What are the health challenges in Zambia?

Zambia continues to struggle with a rising burden of infectious diseases, placing strain on the health system. In the period 2022-2023, malaria cases jumped by 37% to 11.1 million, while recorded malaria deaths rose 19% to 1,602. A cholera outbreak in 2023‑2024 spread quickly, causing nearly 20,000 confirmed cases and around 685 deaths. Poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure, climate change-driven extreme weather events, and weak disease surveillance systems were major contributing factors.

Zambia has made progress on reducing the risks facing women during pregnancy and childbirth, and in early childhood. But people living in rural Zambia face food insecurity aggravated by drought and rising food prices. This threatens people’s nutrition levels, particularly those who are vulnerable – including pregnant women and children under 5 – and has long-term health consequences.

Mothers in every 100,000 die from pregnancy or childbirth complications.

Health workers per 10,000 people.

0 %

of Malaria cases are in under 5s and 1% in pregnant women - threatening vulnerable people.

“We work side by side with women and men in communities to build the knowledge, skills and means to transform their health, laying foundations that will be felt for generations to come.”

Viviane Sakanga, Country Director, Amref Zambia

What does Amref do in Zambia?

Amref Zambia works to bring health services as close as possible to the people who need them. Our work focusses on strengthening primary healthcare systems and addressing the factors that influence our health – from age and education to gender, poverty, and urbanisation.

We implement programmes in: