The Republic of Zambia was once classified as a middle-income country. Three decades of economic decline and neglect of infrastructure and services have turned it into a very poor country.

Village Water has carried out water, sanitation and hygiene education programmes in four Districts of the Western Province of Zambia - Kaoma, Mongu, Lukulu and Senanga. According to the Central Statistical Office of Zambia, the Western Province consistently emerges as the poorest Province.

The Zambia National Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Programme indicates that only 37% of the rural population has access to clean water and 13% has access to sanitation facilities. In accordance with the Millennium Development Goals, the Zambian Government has set itself the target of, by 2015, halving the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. In rural areas of Zambia this means ensuring that 75% of the Zambian population has access to clean water and 50% has access to sanitation. Village Water is working with the knowledge of the Local Government in the Western Province to make this a reality. Hygiene and Sanitation Programmes do, of course, also impact on other Millennium Development Goals such as combating major diseases, particularly diarrhoea (goal 6), improving maternal health (goal 5) and reducing child mortality (goal 4).