Zambia is a landlocked African country which borders eight other nations. With a population of 12 million, its capital is Lusaka. There are 85 distinct ethnic groups with 98% coming from 11 Bantu tribes. The functional literacy rate is under 25%.
Copper mining and refining has been the major exports over the past two decades. Since the collapse of copper prices the currency has suffered inflation making purchased goods expensive for the average Zambian.
HIVAids prevalence – 15.2% of total population. There are about 600,000 orphans and vulnerable children. The high levels of HIVAids, particularly in urban centres, has devastated Zambia as it has other sub-saharan African countries. A Zambian government report showed that rates of testing for HIV are still very low with the majority of respondents saying they feared the result. The reported percentages of HIV+ people are likely to be higher than official figures state.