Profiles of Progress: Strengthening Children and Families in Zambia

This video from GHR Foundation discusses how in Zambia severe poverty and deaths from HIV/AIDS have led to child abandonment and a large population of orphans and vulnerable children.  It states that these challenges faced by the Zambian children include higher levels of poverty.  There are also the combined effects of HIV/AIDS and poverty, which have made most of these households’ capacity very weak and compromises their ability to look after these children.

This video includes a story from a young woman who grew up in the Jesus Cares Ministries Transit Centre. Now she works in social work at the same centre.  She wanted to inspire other children who are facing the same issues she faced as a child.

This video from GHR discusses how GHR supports collaborations that include the Zambian government, NGOs, and faith-based organizations working with children and families.  The video states GHR plans to provide a continuum of care and interventions for children for the purpose of returning more of these children to family and family-like care settings, as well as prevent child separation.

GHR Foundation discusses how it decided to work with local organizations by forming Child Protection Committees. These Child Protection Committees meet monthly and look at is what challenges they face in the community.

Per this video, the Zambian government has formally committed to ensuring all families are protected and able to provide care for their children.

This video further states that by investing in locally driven partnerships, GHR is cost-effectively preventing child separation.  GHR says it sees the potential as the ability to return children to family-care settings, the ability to strengthen families and the ability to build better futures.