Zambia

Syrian medics launched a vaccination campaign in the northwestern Idlib province in early 2023. Such campaigns depend on the global cholera vaccine stockpile, which is currently empty.

How did the world run so low on cholera vaccine? As outbreaks grow, stockpile runs dry

4:29pm March 08, 2024

by Gabrielle Emanuel

With cholera on the rise around the world, the global vaccine stockpile is running dry. New doses go right to active outbreaks, with none left for prevention campaigns. Can vaccine makers catch up?

Archaeologists dug into a riverbank in Zambia and uncovered what they call the earliest known wood construction by humans. The half-million year-old artifacts could change how we see Stone-Age people.

World's oldest wooden structure defies Stone-Age stereotypes

3:30pm September 22, 2023

by Gabriel Spitzer

Archaeologists dug into a riverbank in Zambia and uncovered what they call the earliest known wood construction by humans. The half-million year-old artifacts could change how we see Stone-Age people.

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John Chiti is a Zambian musician and police commissioner. He also has albinism, a pigmentation condition that has shaped his life. His story inspired the film "Can You See Us?" — now streaming on Netflix.

Health & Safety

He's a singer, a cop and the inspiration for a Netflix film about albinism in Africa

8:59am September 10, 2023

by Ari Daniel

"Can You See Us?" is the story of a boy growing up with albinism in Zambia. His father spurns him, his peers attack him. It's based on the life of John Chiti, who spoke to NPR about his experiences.

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Jacqueline Muna Musiitwa, left, and her mom, Anne Sikwibele, at the airport in Lusaka, Zambia, in November. Musiitwa, who lives in Washington, D.C., is worried that her mom may not be able to visit the U.S. for Christmas. In an effort to stem the spread o

Opinion: I want my mom to see her grandkids for Christmas. Travel bans make it tough

4:55pm December 09, 2021

by Jacqueline Muna Musiitwa

Jacqueline Muna Musiitwa was planning for her mom to fly from Zambia to the U.S. for Christmas. Ever-changing travel bans are making it seem like a holiday dream that won't come true.

It seemed as if the 2005 album by Kenneth Kaunda, We Shall Fight HIV/AIDS, had vanished. But then ... it was found! Here's what could be the sole surviving copy, now being remastered for re-release this year.

They Found It! The Long-Lost Album By Zambia's President: 'We Shall Fight HIV/AIDS'

10:48am September 26, 2021

by Aaron Cohen

Kenneth Kaunda spoke out about HIV when African leaders would not even acknowledge its existence. He sang about it, too, in a 2005 album that made a splash, then vanished. And so a search began.

Sister Astridah Banda produces a live radio show called "COVID-19 Awareness Program" in Zambia to share crucial information about the coronavirus in local languages.

Health & Safety

Who Do People Trust For Coronavirus Info? In Zambia, It's Nuns On The Radio

12:51pm June 04, 2020

by Pranav Baskar

Sister Astridah Banda noticed that most of the information about the coronavirus was being shared in English in a country where 70 languages are spoken. That gave her an idea.

Looking for scraps of lead to sell, young people in the town of Kabwe, Zambia, dig through the toxic tailings left behind from 100 years of mining.

Whatever Happened To ... The Kids Whose Lead Levels Were Off The Charts?

5:43pm August 29, 2019

by Susan Brink

They live in the lead-contaminated village of Kabwe, Zambia. A World Bank loan for lead cleanup offered reason for hope. A new report assesses the current situation.

Chinese construction workers carry reinforcing rods on a building site in Algiers, Algeria.

World News

Trump's Insults Will Nudge African Nations Closer To China

4:16pm January 16, 2018

by Ismail Einashe

The danger for the U.S. is that Trump's reported slurs make China an even more enticing partner for African nations, writes British-Somali journalist Ismail Einashe.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has lifted a ban on importing sport-hunted trophies of elephants from Zimbabwe and Zambia.

U.S. Lifts Ban On Importing Elephant Trophies From Zimbabwe And Zambia

7:23pm November 16, 2017

by Laurel Wamsley

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said hunting programs in those countries can aid conservation efforts. But those who oppose the policy change point to a decline in Zimbabwe's elephant population.

A recipient of cash aid through GiveDirectly's experiment checks his phone to confirm that the latest monthly transfer has been made.

An Experiment Gives Cash Aid To The Poor. Is That Ethical?

6:14pm September 13, 2017

by Nurith Aizenman

In this study, thousands of people in some Kenyan villages get a monthly payment. But others in a comparison group get nothing.