On World Children's Day, we celebrate the power and potential of Zambia’s young people. This video captures the inspiring moments where children speak their minds, share their hopes, and articulate the changes they want to see in their schools, homes, and communities. They are not just dreaming of a better future—they are actively working to shape it today. Their voices matter. Their dreams are vital. Watch the video now to hear directly from Zambia’s children, and learn how you can support their right to participate and lead.

In a major stride towards improving foundational learning outcomes in Zambia, World Vision Zambia actively participated in the orientation session for Members of Parliament (MPs) on the #CATCHUP Programme at the National Assembly’s Media Centre. This pivotal event was aimed at equipping policymakers with critical information about the project, fostering ownership, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of these vital educational interventions.

Menstrual poverty remains one of the most critical, yet often unseen, barriers to girls’ education in Zambia. For many young women, especially in rural areas, the inability to afford basic sanitary products or access clean facilities leads to shame, fear, and chronic absenteeism. The Ministry of Education's data reveals the devastating educational cost: inadequate Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) causes Zambian girls to miss at least 36 days of classes per year, disrupting their studies and contributing to the low completion rates, with 44% of girls dropping out before finishing secondary school.

World Vision partners with the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty to advance child-centred policies, scale proven solutions, and accelerate progress toward ending hunger and poverty.

Recent data from the 2024 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey paints a troubling picture: over a third of children under five are stunted, and nearly half of pregnant women suffer from anaemia. These alarming figures reveal a harsh reality: malnutrition and poor maternal health are severely affecting communities across Zambia, especially in communities like Mbala.

Despite progress in recent years, Zambia continues to face significant challenges in providing quality education. One of the most pressing issues is the limited educational infrastructure in rural areas. Many schools operate in dilapidated buildings that are unsafe, overcrowded, and lack basic facilities such as clean water, sanitation, and learning materials. These conditions hinder effective teaching and learning, discourage attendance, especially among vulnerable children, and ultimately compromise their future prospects.

World Vision’s study in Lao PDR and Zambia found low resilience among CHWs, calling for improved support, supervision, and training to sustain their vital work.

FY25 was a year of hard choices and courageous leadership. In the face of escalating global crises, we responded to 108 emergencies, reaching nearly 36 million people—including over 18 million children—with life-saving food, cash, health care, education, and protection. Determined to do more with less, we reimagined humanitarian operations, driving cost-efficiency and resilience while embracing digital transformation. Artificial intelligence and automation helped reinvest savings into communities, even as funding tightened. We strengthened the sector through training and surge capacity, deepened partnerships to champion child-focused humanitarian action, and pushed for a Humanitarian Reset—an aid system that is decentralised, inclusive, and accountable. In the world’s most fragile contexts, we proved that children can thrive when compassion meets purpose. FY25 wasn’t just about responding to crises—it was about shaping the future of humanitarian action.

The national poor educational infrastructure, particularly in rural Zambia, where it directly contributes to high learning poverty rates, severe overcrowding, and low pupil retention, has received urgent attention with World Vision Zambia’s Board of Directors accelerating its Timange Legacy Project to construct a much-needed classroom block at Situnga Primary School in the remote Senanga District, Western Province.

Millions of children still go to school hungry, with a single meal often deciding whether they stay in class or drop out. While 466 million now receive school meals, half of primary school-aged children remain unreached—especially in low-income countries. World Vision’s School Meals Programme delivered daily meals to over one million children in 20 countries and drove 17 policy changes to strengthen national feeding systems. From South Sudan’s new strategy to Rwanda’s citizen-led “Dusangire Lunch,” momentum is building to end child hunger for good.