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Zambia

Reaching Souls International Involvement: Reaching Souls International saw 385,632 salvations in Zambia in 2003 and 160 new churches planted.  Over 21% of the population is infected with HIV. 

Short Term Projects:

- Lusaka, 1995

- Kitwe, 1996

- Kabwe, 1997

- Rapula, 1998

- Katete, 1998

- Solwezi, 2000

- Livingstone, 2001

- Lusaka, 2003

I.A.M. National Missionaries

Avara Shimubanga
Basil Siame
Bilex K. Mutale
Brian Seleta
Charles Sichamba
Chris Siabu
Cosmas Chibanda
Danis Mulenga

Dickson Njobvu
Edenson Sikatali
Emmanuel Sitali
Fred Linyama
Fred Mwase
Funwell Tembo
Geoffrey K. Chubuye
George Banda
Harold Phiri
Ignitius Lembani
Isaac Njovu
Jackson Ng'ona
James Kalundula
John Simbeye
Jones Shibulo
Joseph Simfukwe
Justin Chansa
Launi Mulemena

Lawson Ng'uni
Lefted Kangele
Leonard K.Chela
Lloyd Mweemba
Lokola Chandwe
Lottie Mbuzi
Mathias Tembo
Michael Mwale
Michael Sikaonga
Moses Mpanisi
Mweyama Mulengwani
Pascal Musuba
Patrick Kibondo Majiba
Patrick Phiri
Paul Soko
Peter N'gangula
Phytric M Chitengi
Rodwell Chinyakasa
Samson Zulu
Spider Mulasa
Standwell Kajani
Titus Mandefu
Webster Chalezela
Whiteson Tonga
William Mutale
Williamson Nguluba
Wilson Lungu
Zacharial Mbewe
Zebron Jere
Zebrone Kamanga
 

Population: 10,462,436

Life Expectancy: 35 Years

HIV Deaths: 120,000 per year

The Republic of Zambia is a land-locked country in south central Africa. It borders the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania on the north-east, Malawi on the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia to the south, and Angola on the west. Formerly Northern Zambezia, and then, Northern Rhodesia, the country is named after the Zambezi river.

The indigenous hunter-gatherer occupants of Zambia began to be displaced or absorbed by more advanced migrating tribes about 2,000 years ago. The major waves of Bantu-speaking immigrants began in the 15th century, with the greatest influx between the late 17th and early 19th centuries. They came primarily from the Luba and Lunda tribes of southern Democratic Republic of Congo and northern Angola but were joined in the 19th century by Ngoni peoples from the south. By the latter part of that century, the various peoples of Zambia were largely established in the areas they currently occupy.

Except for the occasional Portuguese explorer, the area lay untouched by Europeans for centuries. After the mid-19th century, it was penetrated by Western explorers, missionaries, and traders. David Livingstone, in 1855, was the first European to see the magnificent waterfalls on the Zambezi River. He named the falls after Queen Victoria, and the Zambian town near the falls is named after him.

In 1888, Cecil Rhodes, spearheading British commercial and political interests in Central Africa, obtained a mineral rights concession from local chiefs. In the same year, Northern and Southern Rhodesia (now Zambia and Zimbabwe, respectively) were proclaimed a British sphere of influence. Southern Rhodesia was annexed formally and granted self-government in 1923, and the administration of Northern Rhodesia was transferred to the British Colonial Office in 1924 as a protectorate.

In 1953, both Rhodesias were joined with Nyasaland (now Malawi) to form the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Northern Rhodesia was the centre of much of the turmoil and crisis that characterized the federation in its last years. At the core of the controversy were insistent African demands for greater participation in government and European fears of losing political control.

A two-stage election held in October and December 1962 resulted in an African majority in the legislative council and an uneasy coalition between the two African nationalist parties. The council passed resolutions calling for Northern Rhodesia's secession from the federation and demanding full internal self-government under a new constitution and a new National Assembly based on a broader, more democratic franchise. On December 31, 1963, the federation was dissolved, and Northern Rhodesia became the Republic of Zambia on October 24, 1964.

At independence, despite its considerable mineral wealth, Zambia faced major challenges. Domestically, there were few trained and educated Zambians capable of running the government, and the economy was largely dependent on foreign expertise. Abroad, three of its neighbors--Southern Rhodesia and the Portuguese colonies of Mozambique and Angola--remained under white-dominated rule. Rhodesia's white-ruled government unilaterally declared independence in 1965. In addition, Zambia shared a border with South African-controlled South-West Africa (now Namibia). Zambia's sympathies lay with forces opposing colonial or white-dominated rule, particularly in Southern Rhodesia. During the next decade, it actively supported movements such as the Union for the Total Liberation of Angola (UNITA), the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), the African National Congress of South Africa (ANC), and the South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO).

Conflicts with Rhodesia resulted in the closing of Zambia's borders with that country and severe problems with international transport and power supply. However, the Kariba hydroelectric station on the Zambezi River provided sufficient capacity to satisfy the country's requirements for electricity. A railroad to the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam, built with Chinese assistance, reduced Zambian dependence on railroad lines south to South Africa and west through an increasingly troubled Angola.

By the late 1970s, Mozambique and Angola had attained independence from Portugal. Zimbabwe achieved independence in accordance with the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement, but Zambia's problems were not solved. Civil war in the former Portuguese colonies generated an influx of refugees and caused continuing transportation problems. The Benguela Railroad, which extended west through Angola, was essentially closed to traffic from Zambia by the late 1970s. Zambia's strong support for the ANC, which had its external headquarters in Lusaka, created security problems as South Africa raided ANC targets in Zambia.

In the mid-1970s, the price of copper, Zambia's principal export, suffered a severe decline worldwide. Zambia turned to foreign and international lenders for relief, but as copper prices remained depressed, it became increasingly difficult to service its growing debt. By the mid-1990s, despite limited debt relief, Zambia's per capita foreign debt remained among the highest in the world.
 

Historical information taken from www.wikipedia.com.