When women and girls are supported with the right tools, they build pathways out of poverty—for themselves and for their families and communities. Yet for too many, those pathways aren’t there yet.

In Zambia, poverty remains entrenched in rural areas. Adolescent girls face high dropout rates. Women struggle to access capital, markets, or skills training. Maternal and child undernutrition remains widespread, affecting the foundations of learning, growth, and future earnings.

These challenges reinforce one another. There is tremendous unrealized potential at scale, as Zambia faces significant human capital gaps that persist from early childhood through adulthood and interventions that are fragmented, siloed, or fail to reach those most in need.

With help from partners, the government is working to change this, building on experience and what worked in the 1st phase of the Girls’ Education and Women’s Empowerment and Livelihoods Project (GEWEL). The 2nd phase will expand the efforts nationwide and link cash transfers, education, nutrition, and livelihoods into an integrated delivery platform. It launched in May 2025, with $157 million in financing.

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