Since 2016, UNFPA and UNICEF, working with the Government of Zambia, have implemented the Global Programme to End Child Marriage, now in its third phase. Operating in ten districts across three provinces, the programme engages traditional and religious leaders as key partners in shifting harmful social norms. Chiefs such as Chief Chikwa of Chama district have taken strong public stands, inspiring other community leaders to commit to ending child marriage and directly intervening in cases to protect children.

In 2025, the programme expanded mentorship and education efforts:

• 6,587 girls received guidance from volunteer female coaches.
• 12,555 boys participated in Coaching Boys into Men sessions to foster positive attitudes.

• 15,632 adolescents benefited from case management services, connecting them to

  support and resources.

• 1,714 out of school adolescents were re-enrolled in school, while 4,801 adolescents accessed scholarships and support services.

• Peer educators reached over 42,000 adolescents with information on sexual

  and reproductive health, gender based violence, HIV, and child marriage laws the disaggregated data peer educators reached over 42,000 (27,349F and 14,651M).

These efforts are helping adolescents build knowledge, agency, and resilience, while promoting education as a pathway to dignity and development. However, challenges remain: limited resources restrict expansion to other high prevalence districts; teenage pregnancy rates remain high, and national coordination structures are not yet fully operational.

In rural Zambia, the Government’s Cash Plus policy is changing lives by combining Social Cash Transfers with healthcare, skills training, agricultural support, and other social services. For Luka Mudekwa, a farmer in his seventies, this integrated support has been transformative.

A father of six and grandfather of four, Luka depends on a small maize field to feed his family. Two years ago, he learned about the Social Cash Transfer programme through a community sensitization campaign. The modest but regular payments gave him stability, helping him sustain his household and invest in his farm.

Through the Single Window Service Delivery Initiative (SWI), Luka was later linked to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIMA). Living with a hearing impairment and struggling with worsening eyesight, healthcare had long been out of reach. But NHIMA provided free medical services, including eyeglasses that restored his vision and allowed him to continue farming.

For Luka, the SWI platform has made government services more accessible, eliminating the need to travel long distances for information or enrolment. Today, he describes the programme as life-changing with health insurance and cash support; he and his community feel more secure and hopeful about the future.

“I am thankful for the support from NHIMA,” Luka says. “Without it, I would not be able to do what I can today despite my sight challenges.” Rain didn’t come, but hope did: How one family in Hinjali village is turning Emergency Social Cash Transfer support into a brighter future.

In Hinjali village of Monze district, where dry winds sweep across cracked fields and crops have failed for yet another season, a quiet resilience is taking root. It lives in the determination of Vivian Nzala, a mother committed to keeping her three school age children in class despite the crippling drought. With small but steady support from the Drought Emergency Social Cash Transfer (DECT) programme, Vivian has begun rebuilding her family’s future.

As part of the Government of the Republic of Zambia’s 2024 national drought emergency response, more than 2.2 million vulnerable households received K800 (USD 28) every two months to cushion against food insecurity. Led by the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, with financial backing from the World Bank, cooperating partners and technical support from the GRZUN Joint Programme on Social Protection, the programme ensured timely assistance for families facing widespread crop failure.

Vivian is a mother of four: eight-month-old Brance, five-year-old Brenda, 10 year-old Brigitte and 12 year-old Brandina. Except for the baby, all attend school regularly. Even as the drought devastated her crops, wiping out all 20 kilograms of seed she planted. Vivian remained focused on her children’s education. She learned about the DECT programme through a community sensitization meeting where CWAC members explained the eligibility criteria.

Discovering she qualified brought relief and renewed hope. With her first payment, Vivian bought a 50kg bag of maize to feed her family. Subsequent payments allowed her to start saving, and by the fourth cycle she had purchased a nanny goat, which has since multiplied to three. She now also keeps chickens that provide eggs and meat. “I have learned to plan and use the little I receive wisely,” she says. “My children eat better, and I have something to fall back on.”

While Zambia’s education reforms have removed school fees, many children in drought-affected areas still struggle with hunger, impacting attendance and concentration. The DECT programme is helping 

close this gap by enabling families to afford basic food.

At Hinjali Primary School, absenteeism is low thanks to the GRZ school feeding programme, which provides one nutritious meal a day for all 450 learners. The school also benefits from the Keeping Girls in School initiative.

Vivian’s story reflects the power of coordinated support, resilience and social protection. Through cash transfers, school feeding and education reforms, families like hers are not just surviving the drought—they are nurturing hope for a better future.