Take Action 2024 has been full of immense trials for Zambia. Early in the year, a cholera outbreak wreaked havoc, particularly devastating communities lacking clean water sources where many of our students live. However, the same El Niño climate phenomenon that brought the heavy rains and flooding that spread cholera so quickly is now responsible for a sudden, drawn-out dry spell. This severe drought has had far reaching consequences to which we are diligently working to respond.

Hear Family Legacy President & CEO, John Hasse, explain the impact of the drought crisis and how you can take part in our response.

In countries like Zambia, the ramifications of drought are often more far-reaching and damaging than first meets the eye. Food and water insecurity are the most immediate and obvious effects of drought, but there are many factors tied into this problem that significantly impact our children’s lives.
Hear their stories

From late January through mid-March, southern Africa received a fraction of the typical rainfall upon which crops rely. As this came at a critical part of the growing season, about 2.5 million acres (43%) of Zambia’s maize crop are now destroyed. Other food crops are dying on the vine. Farmers, as well as the masses who depend on them, feel the sting of this loss, facing a worrisome future from missing revenue and less money to invest in future production, inclusive of inflated seed cost. Learn the impact

Zambia relies heavily on hydroelectric power, and lack of rain means lack of electricity, and lack of electricity means load-shedding: controlled, sustained outages used by energy providers to conserve power when demand outpaces supply. In this case, there is not enough water in the lakes and impoundments to flow through the turbines to generate electricity. Americans may be familiar with this concept after the rolling blackouts many endured in the winter storms of 2022 and 2023. While those outages were temporary responses to extreme weather, load-shedding is an all-too-regular event in Zambia. Outages from load-shedding have reached more than 12 hours a day since May and will continue into the foreseeable future. Though some families and businesses can afford a form of back-up power (gas generators or solar inverters), this is not the case for our students.
Read Zambian testimonies

In addition to power, the government is rationing the limited water supply to make it last. Our Legacy Academies connected to city water have not had reliable water for weeks, so we have brought in trucks full of potable water to replenish the water tanks, ensuring clean water for our students. At home, the families of these students must make difficult decisions about how or if they will acquire clean water. The two main options available are to travel farther and farther to find clean water sources, or settle to use the dirty water available to them. Though we think of cholera as resulting from heavy rain and flooding, our medical team is preparing for another wave of the disease as contaminated water becomes the only viable option for many families.

On top of worldwide inflation, the value of the Zambian Kwacha has been on a steady decline for several years. Zambia’s year-over-year inflation rate is 15.4% and increasing monthly from the previously mentioned crop shortfalls as well as increased costs from businesses to stay open during load-shedding. According to the Basic Needs and Nutrition Basket, a Zambian cost-of-living calculator from the Jesuit Center for Theological Reflection, the average cost of living for a family of five has increased by 8% since January of this year. Since January 2023, it has grown by almost 20%. Help relieve Inflation

In the areas listed above, vulnerable people often feel the repercussions the hardest:

- 42% of the children in our programs are in danger of the immediate and long-term effects of malnutrition

- With the crop shortage and 17.4% inflation on food costs (in addition to rising costs across the board), our students’ physical wellbeing will be at even greater risk

- Load-shedding outages cause food spoiling, no light for homework, and no power to pump water from community taps

- At night, the absolute darkness in Lusaka’s compounds also provides easy cover for crime
Decreased access to water particularly threatens women and girls

- Longer travel distances to clean water sources increases circumstances for violence and abuse

- Worsening poverty increases social stresses that lead to dropping out of school and child marriage (currently 29% of Zambian girls marry before turning 18)

- Older girls avoid school if they are not assured of clean water out of concern for menstrual hygiene

Give Donate towards drought relief in Zambia. Donate now Pray God sees every one of our children and cares for them more deeply than we can imagine. He alone holds their futures, and He is delighted when believers come to Him in humble prayer together.

- Additional fuel for generators

- Solar water pumps

- Charcoal and wood pellets for food preparation

- Solar inverter system
God has also uniquely positioned us to help provide relief to many of the vulnerable children and families in Lusaka. Tax-deductible donations go directly toward several areas of relief: Updated alarm systems Food relief - Additional shipping containers of food

- Medically directed, prescriptive nutrition programs for those with greatest malnutrition
Medical care - Potable water

- Home visits for families at highest vulnerability
Vigilant and proactive measures to prevent exploitation
- School and community based social worker evaluations and counseling

- Training programs targeting the most vulnerable households
Alternative energy measures to ensure our facilities can continue to operate during power outages

To read more on the personal impact of the drought on students, families, and staff in Zambia. Click Here