Zambia
Building Resilience for Just and Inclusive Climate Action
Year after year, Zambia has faced the impacts of climate change. For instance, the 2023-2024 rainy season brought the worst drought in at least two decades. This severe drought has led to drastic food shortages, energy poverty, and water scarcity, prompting the government to declare a national emergency. This drought is not merely an environmental issue; it is a significant matter of climate justice. Most marginalised groups disproportionately feel the impacts, exacerbating existing inequalities.
The Voices for Just Climate Action (VCA) programme in Zambia addresses these challenges by focusing on crucial thematic areas such as water, food, energy, health, gender and deforestation, all within the context of climate change. The programme emphasises a rights-based and intersectional approach to amplify the voices of civil society, ensuring that climate action is both inclusive and just.
Our Impacts in Zambia
21
Subcontracted Partners
37
Local Climate Solutions Supported
82,833
People Impacted by Supported Climate Solutions
18
Policies Influenced
The Zambia Country Story
Since 2021, VCA Zambia has been pivotal in mobilising local communities, advocating for sustainable climate action, and holding the government and the private sector accountable.
The programme has been instrumental in building resilience and adaptation to climate change, particularly in the Lower Kafue Basin and Lusaka Province. These regions are vital for Zambia’s water supply, hydroelectricity, and agricultural production.
Through a holistic approach, the VCA involves local communities to co-create climate solutions that benefit both people and nature. This initiative bridges the gap between urban and rural areas, facilitating the exchange of knowledge and understanding how different communities are impacted by and can address climate change together.
Unified by Common Goals
Deforestation in Zambia results in the loss of biodiversity, water pollution, and soil erosion, contributing to climate change. A promising avenue for addressing deforestation in Zambia is the active involvement of traditional leaders, who serve as custodians of vast land areas, many of which have been heavily affected by deforestation. By engaging traditional leaders and gaining their support in promoting alternative livelihoods to activities like charcoal production, it’s possible to address the issue through a lens of sustainability.
In an initiative led by local partner Panos Institute Southern Africa and Zambia Institute of Independent Media Alliance, key stakeholders exchanged valuable information on forest conservation, national forest regulations and policies, and the specific context of charcoal production activities in target communities. By addressing the symptoms and root causes, Zambia can make significant strides in its fight against deforestation and its associated negative impacts on the environment and climate.
Striving for Change with our Local Partners
In the quest for gender equality and social justice, it is imperative to acknowledge the intertwined relationship between climate change and gender disparities. Recognising this, the Women’s Life Wellness Foundation (WLWF), a local partner under the Voices for Just Climate Action programme in Zambia, has taken up the mantle to empower women farmers and youths in Lukolongo and Shimabala wards in Chilanga district on adaptation methods amidst climate change.
In the Kanyama compound of Lusaka, the People’s Process on Housing and Poverty in Zambia (PPHPZ), with support from Slum Dwellers International (SDI) under VCA, engages with the Kanyama Women’s Federation to co-produce climate solutions rooted in grassroots knowledge and experience. These are just two examples of what our partners are doing to strive for change.
In the Zambia Project Profile publication, explore more innovative, locally-driven climate action initiatives and collaborations led by our partners in Zambia.
