Supporting children to not just survive, but to thrive, is a priority for USAID Zambia’s Health Office. Over the past two decades, Zambia has made tremendous progress in reducing under-five mortality, with a reduction from 197 to 61 deaths per 1,000 live births between 1996 and 2018. The first five years of a child’s life are critical for healthy long-term development, productivity, and social cohesion.

The Scaling Up Early Childhood Development in Zambia (SUpErCDZ) activity provides early childhood development (ECD) innovations to improve physical and cognitive health outcomes for children, between ages 0-6.

Operating across four districts in Southern and Eastern Provinces, SUpErCDZ works with local resources, including Safe Motherhood Action Groups, also know as SMAGs, and maternity waiting homes to establish community-based parenting groups that can respond to the needs of young children. These groups address topics including cognitive stimulation, child nutrition, and positive parenting.

The SUpErCDZ project also provides training and mentorship to healthcare workers, community health volunteers, early childhood development workers, and caregivers to improve ECD-related knowledge and behaviors in their communities.

JOURNEY TO SELF-RELIANCE

USAID believes every person, every community, and every country wants to be empowered to lead their own future. We support self-reliance by walking alongside our friends on their development journey as evolving but enduring partners.  As partners on this journey, we are empowering host-country governments and our partners to achieve locally-sustained results, helping countries mobilize public and private revenues, strengthening local capacities, and accelerating enterprise-driven development.  This approach fosters stable, resilient, and prosperous countries that are more self-reliant, and prioritizes enduring partnerships.