The crisis affected 30% of the population, with less food available prices rocketed throughout the year.
Many families supplement their meagre income by growing crops in their gardens so water shortages do not just affect large scale farmers.
Energy is also affected as the country relies on hydropower for more than 80% of its power. When water levels are low there simply isn’t enough power so load-shedding takes place for days at a time affecting households, schools and businesses, often without notice.
The water supply is also at risk with boreholes drying up leaving some schools without enough water. Those schools who rely on electricity to power their water pumps are left without any water, causing major challenges with hygiene and cooking.
Last year’s drought caused a significant increase in hunger amongst children. Schools that Zambia Orphans Aid partners with reported rising food prices due to shortages, with many more children coming to school hungry and unable to focus on their lessons.
Too often vulnerable children we work with have little food at home and rely on schools providing nutritious meals to students. In Zambia 40% of under 5s are stunted because they have not had enough nutritious food to eat.
School meals not only reduce hunger and malnutrition, they also help improve school attendance and performance – as no one can learn if they’re hungry. Hungry children Zambia Orphans Aid feeds are more likely to attend school – as they know they will receive a meal. Due to rising costs schools we work with are now having to make children share a plate of food for lunch, when they really need to be eating more.
Despite better rains in the 2024/25 rainy season food costs have not reduced. Just £13 could allow Zambia Orphans Aid to provide a child with a school lunch for one year.
Lukundo, pictured, is a student who has received a solar light from ZOA. She explains how this has helped:
“The solar light really helped with my extra studies and meant I could work hard in the evenings to get good grades.”
A reliable source of light is something many of us take for granted, but it is crucial to people’s lives. Zambia’s energy system is primarily dependent on hydropower, so without enough water, there is not enough power.
The scarcity of water last year led to a severe energy deficit. Across the country homes experienced prolonged power outages. The government enforced load shedding, with power being cut for long periods, often at random times, without warning and lasting several days. As a result, education suffers.
Load-shedding continues and a lack of power means that schools struggle to operate, computer labs and lighting systems don’t function, and students are unable to complete their homework. A large percentage of disadvantaged Zambians don’t have access to electricity anyway, and this issue worsens during drought years. Access to electricity is critical for students’ studies, and without it, their grades and future opportunities are jeopardized.
Fortunately, there are innovative solutions to this problem—solar lamps. Solar lamps offer students reliable light at home, powered by an endless source: the sun.
Each November the rains return. However, this is not a long-term solution to Zambia’s energy challenges. With extreme weather patterns likely to persist, continued support is essential for the years ahead.
But there is hope. ZOA-UK is launching a new initiative to distribute more solar lamps, focusing on students in Grades 7, 9, and 12—critical stages when their studies have a significant impact on their future prospects. By providing access to light, this initiative will empower young people to achieve their goals and improve their life chances.
The Zambian government is also working to broaden access to solar energy infrastructure across the country and in response ZOA-UK is exploring ways that school partners in impoverished communities can benefit from access to renewable energy
