Known as the Bemba Heartland, Northern Province is the home to some of Zambia’s most notable features. The world’s longest freshwater lake, Lake Tanganyika, the historical location demarking the last shot fired in World War One, Kalambo Waterfall, and the source of the Congo River are all found there. With abundant water resources, wetlands, and waterfalls, Zambia’s Northern Province also boasts spectacular wildlife and bird life.
USAID ACTIVITIES IN NORTHERN PROVINCE
In Northern Province, USAID/Zambia implements nine activities in the Health, Education, and Economic Development sectors. Through these activities, USAID will directly invest approximately $14.3 million in 2021 in Northern Province. The largest activities in the province, in terms of annual funding, are USAID Scaling Up Nutrition Technical Assistance (SUN TA) and DISCOVER-Health. A large proportion of USAID’s overall provincial investment focuses on preventing the spread of HIV and providing treatment services to the 5.6 percent of persons living with HIV in the province. Additional focus is placed on preventing new HIV infections through high-impact, evidence-based programs.
Due to high malaria prevalence in the province, Northern Province is a focus area for malaria elimination under the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), which delivers cost-effective, life-saving malaria interventions—such as insecticide-treated bed nets, indoor residual spraying, and essential medicines—alongside catalytic technical and operational assistance.
Additional health funding is channeled to gender-based violence prevention, family services, and TB detection and treatment. Given the wide scope of our health programming and the high level of engagement with the Zambian government in the province, USAID/Zambia operates a Provincial Health Office in Kasama, the provincial capital of Northern Province, to coordinate government-to-government funding and provincial programming.
HEALTH
Action HIV
USAID Action HIV aims to reduce HIV mortality, morbidity, and transmission by achieving the UNAIDS and PEPFAR goal of 95-95-95 HIV treatment coverage and providing comprehensive HIV prevention and care and treatment maintenance services in Luapula, Muchinga, and Northern provinces. Additionally, USAID Action HIV strengthens public financial management systems in provinces where USAID has government to government agreements. In order to achieve these objectives, USAID Action HIV strengthens systems and provides direct service delivery at the province, district, facility, and community levels.
Prime Partner: Right to Care Zambia
Duration: June 2021 - June 2026
Community Radio Program (CRP)
The CRP activity aims to improve the health of women and children by addressing family planning, nutrition, gender-based violence, and HIV, through radio programming. Each 156-minute episode is broadcast in a local Zambian language and is carefully designed to integrate cultural relevance and Northern Province’s context and characteristics. The goal of CRP is to present relatable storylines that resonate emotionally with a Zambian audience and inspire long-term positive behavior change.
Prime Partner: Population Media Center
Duration: Feb. 2018 – Dec. 2022
District Coverage of Health Services (DISCOVER-Health)
DISCOVER-Health supports HIV prevention and treatment, family planning, and maternal and child health programs. The project scales up Test and Start HIV treatment, facilitates access to, and uptake of, family planning and HIV prevention services, and ensures a strong continuum of care between clinics and communities. DISCOVER-Health is active in Kasama, Mbala, and Mpulungu districts.
Partner: John Snow, Inc.
Duration: Dec. 2015 – Dec. 2021
Eradicate Tuberculosis (ETB)
ETB works in partnership with the Zambian Government, the National TB Control Program, the private sector, and other partners to strengthen the response in each of the Northern’s eleven districts. ETB focuses on finding new TB cases, laboratory strengthening, management of drug-resistant TB, and operational research. The project targets high TB-burden communities.
Prime Partner: Program for Appropriate Technology in Health
Duration: May 2017 – Nov. 2022
Evidence for Health
The Evidence for Health mechanism helps Zambia's Ministry of Health (MOH) improve the use of data for decision-making and expand the information base to strengthen and inform program development and performance improvement. Quality data for decision making is critical for effectiveness and accountability of taxpayer resources. This enables USAID and the MOH to focus on priority development concerns within their manageable interests and scope while contributing to USAID's goals of preventing child and maternal deaths, controlling the HIV epidemic, and combating infectious diseases, including COVID-19.
Partner: Management Systems International
Duration: March 2020 - March 2025
Program for the Advancement of Malaria Outcomes (PAMO) PLUS
PAMO Plus helps reduce illness and death from malaria by improving the prevention, detection, and treatment of malaria in high-burden areas. The project works closely with the Ministry of Health to build their capacity to implement the National Malaria Strategic Plan at community, district, and provincial levels. PAMO Plus’s specific interventions focus on strengthening malaria prevention and case management activities at community health facilities, while building GRZ management and oversight capacity at the district and provincial levels.
Prime Partner: Program for Appropriate Technology in Health
Duration: Sept. 2020– Sept. 2025
Zambia Community HIV Prevention Project (Z-CHPP)
Z-CHPP aims to prevent new HIV infections through community-based behavioral interventions, improved condom accessibility and acceptability, and promotion of high-impact services. In partnership with the Zambian government, Z-CHPP supports the development of community groups that mitigate risky behaviors, increase referrals from community to clinical services, and reduce the vulnerability of adolescent girls and young women to HIV infection. Z-CHPP is implemented in Kasama district.
Partner: Pact, Inc.
Duration: Nov. 2015 – Nov. 2022
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Scaling Up Nutrition Technical Assistance (SUN TA)
SUN TA is an integrated nutrition program. The aim of SUN TA in Northern Province is to reduce stunting and improve access to water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities in four selected districts: Kaputa, Kasama, Luwingu, and Mbala. SUN TA builds strength-based and need-based technical capacity for the National Food and Nutrition Commission and line ministries, primarily at the district level and below. SUN TA works with Zambian government officials on joint work planning, prioritization, budgeting, activity implementation, progress reporting, and monitoring.
Prime Partner: DAI
Duration: Feb. 2019 – Feb. 2026
EDUCATION
EduFinance
EduFinance is USAID’s core private sector partnership in the education sector. The activity leverages essential private capital to improve access to quality primary education for students in target catchment zones. In partnership with the Ministry of General Education (MOGE), the project is developing and implementing a comprehensive policy and regulatory environment to reduce barriers to entry for non-state primary education providers. EduFinance also works with the MOGE to develop administrative capacity to effectively regulate the non-state education sector. The activity will ultimately improve educational access and equity by increasing enrollment opportunities for primary school students in Zambia.
Partners: Palladium, Opportunity International (Sub), Education Partnership Group, and PEAS
Duration: June 2020 - Sept. 2024