Child Aid ZAM FAM (Zambia)
The project is supporting Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) through improving household resilience as well as strengthening the ability of guardians and communities to improve care and support for their children.
The project uses the Child Aid approach, which is a holistic approach to community mobilisation and ownership that engages children and youth, caregivers, community groups, teachers and local leaders, creating many frontiers for tackling community problems with a main focus on increased utilisation of available resources.
ZAMFAM works closely with the government ministries, Community Welfare Assistant Committees, as well as with the District Welfare Assistant Committees, and 800 Community Health Workers.
Child Aid ZAMFAM started in January 2016 after signing a contract with USAID in November 2015. The project started with 12 districts; 4 in Central Province (Chibombo, Kabwe, KapiriMposhi and Mumbwa) and 12 districts in Southern Province (Chikankata, Choma, Livingstone, Kalomo, Kazungula, Mazabuka, Monze and Zimba), working in 62 project areas. In 2018, more than 2,800 Community Action Groups were established at the beginning of the project and the number has grown to 2,961 in 2019. The Action Groups have continued providing services to the OVCs. Other structures established to support project implementation include the Community Care Volunteers and the Community Welfare Assistants committees.
In 2019 project had 342 employees, who were taking care of 145,749 orphans and vulnerable children and 85,504 households.