Our Family - Zambia

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Zambia has reduced life expectancy to 38. Extended families and communities are struggling to support the tens of thousands of orphans created by HIV/AIDS.

Education Development Center and the Ministry of Health have collaborated to form QUESTT (Quality Education Services Through Technology) to produce and broadcast a radio series, titled Our Family. The project recognises that the key to overcoming both HIV/AIDS and its consequences rests within communities. It urges whole communities to tackle the issue, working with learners, teachers and parents, and encourages parents to speak to their children about illness, death and other taboo subjects.

The project was launched in January 2007 and thanks to the fundraising efforts of Reuters staff in London and Geneva, we were able to provide 250 Lifeline radios which were distributed in Southern Province. Reuters also donated 250 Lifeline radios to boost EDC’s Learning At Taonga Market initiative in community schools.

In 2008, thanks to the generosity of publisher and information provider, Reed Elsevier, we were able to donate 330 Lifeline radios to communities in Zambia’s Northern Province and Eastern Province. The radios will help EDC-QUESTT extend the Our Family project. The programmes will be broadcast on two community radio stations – Radio Mano in Kasama, Northern Province, and Radio Pasme in Petauke, Eastern Province.

Speaking about the value of the radios to the project, Godfrey Chitalu, QUESTT Project Coordinator, said:  ‘The programme would not succeed without the radios. Ordinary radios need batteries and electricity and our people do not have these’.