A Bit About Zambia

To give you a bit of a taste of where I will be and what I will be doing over the next month, here is a brief introduction to the nation of Zambia and the town in which I will be staying.

The Republic of Zambia is a nation in southern Africa, just above Botswana.  Its official language is English, although a number of other languages are recognized, including Tonga, the predominant language spoken in the area which my team will be visiting.

Zambia became the British colony of Northern Rhodesia towards the end of the 19th century, and gained its independance in 1964.

Zambia is a fairly large country - approximately 4/5 of the size of British Columbia, although its population is almost three times what ours is.  Of these people, almost 70% live below the established poverty line.

The official religion of Zambia is Christianity, but a wide variety of religious traditions exist, including Islam, Judaism, the Baha'i faith, and a number of syncretic churches.

The literacy rate is approximately 80%, however most children drop out of school after year seven, as schooling beyond that is no longer publicly funded.  If children do go on to complete primary and secondary school, pursuing further education is very difficult, as there are a limited number of universities with a very competitive entry system and many cannot pay tuition.  One alternative to university education is to attend a nursing training program at a missionary hospital.  One such hospital is the salvation army hospital in Chikankata, which is where my team and I will be spending the majority of our time in Zambia.

This hospital is well known throughout Zambia as a leader in excellence, and people come from all over to take courses in HIV prevention and management (the prevalence of HIV in Zambia exceeds 10%).  The mission includes a high school, hospital, and nursing school.  We will be working alongside the hospital nurses and student nurses there.