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Context
At
independence in 1964 Zambia was economically a prosperous
country although the economy was almost exclusively
dependent on copper production. The per capita income
of US$ 1, 200. 00 facilitated a rapid expansion
of social and economic infrastructure (education,
employment, health, roads and transportation, manufacturing,
etc) all of which led to increased income levels,
school enrolment up to University level and a longer
life expectancy. Zambia's literacy levels were ranked
amongst the highest in Africa. However, since the
mid 1970s Zambia’s economic and social situation
has been deteriorating due to the adverse effect
of terms of trade and so the country has now been
rated as one of the poorest, ranking 153 out of
the 174 poorest nations (UNDP Human Development
Report, 2000).
According
to economic indicators, per capita income has continued
to decline and poverty has reached alarming levels
and Zambia is now among the Highly Indebted Poor
Countries (HIPC). Sources of livelihood in the formal
sector have also declined and all existing reports
on the social and economical situation in the country
indicate that abject poverty affects over 80% of
the Zambian population (over eight million people
out of an estimated population of ten million).
The privatisation of state-owned companies under
the IMF/World Bank sponsored Structural Adjustment
Program (SAP) has significantly contributed to the
high poverty levels as this process resulted into
massive unemployment in almost all economic sectors.
Similarly, The agricultural sector that pre-occupies
the vast majority of people in rural areas has suffered
most as a result of the implementation of the Structural
Adjustment Programme (SAP) as prescribed by the
World Bank and the IMF.
Zambia’s
population is currently estimated at 10.3 million,
of which 51% are women. The majority of this population
is aged between 5 and 40 years of age. Over the
past decade life expectancy has declined from 46.9
years in 1990 to 37.0years in 1999. It is estimated
that currently 20% the adult population aged 15
to 49 is HIV positive. Being the most productive
age group, the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS in this
age group has serious social and economic implications
to the nation. It is also estimated that 25% of
pregnant women are HIV positive and 39.5% of babies
born to positive mothers are infected with the virus.
The
high incidence of HIV/AIDS has also significantly
contributed to the degeneration in the socio-economic
status of the majority of Zambians. To illustrate
this, it is estimated that currently 20-35 % of
households are headed by a single female. The number
of child-headed households both in rural areas and
urban areas is increasing at an alarming rate. According
to estimates, 700,000 children have been orphaned
as a result of AIDS. Of this total, 6% are street
children while less than 1% of them are in orphanages.
Nearly 75% of all households are caring for at least
one orphan. This astronomical increase in the number
of orphans resulting from the HIV/AIDS pandemic
has severely overburdened the traditional African
extended family system, which, to a large extent,
can no longer cope with the situation.
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