In Zambia, girls struggle to go to school.
Credit: Women for Change, Zambia
Published On: April 16, 2021
Heavy water drums. Scorching sun. Poor sanitation. Assault. Not being able to attend school. These are some of the issues faced by women and girls in charge of collecting water in Zambia and around the world.
And it’s one of many women’s issues that Mission & Service partner Women for Change is addressing in Zambia. Every day, your Mission & Service gifts are helping to empower women and girls in rural areas across the country.
Zambia has one of the highest levels of poverty and inequality globally. There, 16.6 million people earn less than $1.90 per day. Three-quarters of the poor live in rural areas, where women are the hardest hit. Gender discrimination prevents them from accessing land, education, healthcare, and jobs and puts them at higher risk of discrimination and violence.
“Women for Change works with local communities that determine their own needs. In one community, accessing safe water is a problem. So Women for Change is drilling wells and implementing clean-up processes. In another area, there is a lack of women’s leadership. So the organization is training women to become political leaders. Girls’ education is also a major concern,” says Japhet Ndhlovu, who heads the United Church’s Community In Mission Unit.
In Zambia, girls struggle to go to school. Traditional attitudes, poverty, early marriage, and priorities to educate boys means too many girls drop out. In 2018, the national United Church Women decided to do something about it. Through Women for Change, our church women are actively supporting an education program designed to motivate girls to stay in school. The project encourages girls, trains teachers, and impresses upon parents and leaders the importance of education.
Women for Change is just one of several life-changing organizations your special gifts to Mission & Service this Mother’s Day will support.
When you give a special Mother’s Day gift, you will directly help families in need at home and around the world through education, health clinics, respite care, and safe shelter. Give a gift offline or online at united-church.ca/donation. Don’t forget to credit your congregation! When you give online, you can send a free e-card to honour, support, remember, or recognize your loved one.
Your support changes lives! Thank you.