Framework

 In Zambia (as in Malawi) there are no projects funded by the Italian Government. Italian and local NGOs run by Italian volunteers, are however very active in implementing projects in various sectors with funds from the European Union and Italian institutions and benefactors. The sectors covered are: education, public health, environmental protection (urban and rural).
The education in rural areas remains a major problem due to the lack of infrastructure, materials and qualified teachers willing to teach in the more remote districts. The educational delay accrued by students reflects negatively in the working life and the development of the Country.
Environmental projects are based on the introduction of cultivation and nutrition methods, that help to reduce the indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources and which can be easily assimilated even by rural population most in need. The interventions aim to develop alternative sources of income (horticulture, cultivation of rice, better exploitation of food resources which the forest provides in naturally, honey, fish farming etc.) with a positive impact on the environment, greater economic wealth, better food conditions. One must consider that in a context of abundance of arable land, water and a favorable climate, the problem of malnutrition, it’s almost entirely attributable to a widespread lack of nutrition education.
In the cities the problem of waste disposal is becoming more and more compelling. International cooperation, even with the private sector, for the treatment of waste and its conversion into energy, represents a crucial area of intervention to counteract the rapid deterioration of groundwater and the quality of air.
The challenge for Zambia is to be able to transform the sustained growth registered in recent years in an effective improvement of living conditions of the population, especially in rural areas.  The current growth is not sufficiently inclusive and the fight against poverty remains one of the priorities for the Country. Despite upgrading to the category of middle-income Country, and despite the dependence on foreign aid dropping to around 5-6% of its budget, Zambia continues to benefit from International Cooperation. Cooperation strategies of donors, alongside the traditional sectors, are adapting to mature forms of collaboration in the areas of governance, energy, transport and private sector development.
The European Union has suspended the budget support, believing it would be more useful to concentrate the intervention in sectoral projects. While in the 10th EDF almost half of the contribution was allocated to "budget support" and a 20% to health ', the 11th EDF pledges half of the funds to energy (repair of the Kariba Dam), about a quarter to agriculture and another quarter to "governance". The EU also funds projects of regional economic organizations (SADC and COMESA), especially with regard to infrastructure development of transit corridors.