In many parts of Zambia, children continue to face significant challenges that threaten their safety, development, and future. Early marriages, teen pregnancies, and harmful cultural practices remain deeply rooted in some communities, often compounded by weak child protection systems and limited access to support services. These issues not only jeopardise the well-being of boys and girls but also hinder broader efforts toward sustainable development and social cohesion.

Brikena Zogaj and Lilian Mumbi, World Vision Technical Experts, emphasise that hunger is not just a food issue but a protection crisis, especially for children who face exploitation, early marriage, and displacement due to food insecurity. They highlight how integrating child protection into food aid programmes—such as those by World Vision—can safeguard children and improve long-term outcomes. The authors call on global actors to fund and prioritise child-focused, integrated approaches to ensure children are not only fed but also protected and empowered.

Before the safe house, handling GBV cases was difficult. Survivors sometimes had to be sheltered by community leaders or transported 70 kilometers away to Chipinge—an unsustainable solution.

In humanitarian crises, food security is often treated as a standalone goal. But World Vision is helping shift that paradigm — proving that protecting children must be central to how we feed, recover, and rebuild. Together with the Child Protection Area of Responsibility, the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, Plan International, and the Food Security Cluster, World Vision is setting a new standard: one where child well-being is not an afterthought, but a core outcome of humanitarian response.

Girls worldwide face unequal progress in education, safety, and rights. This report reveals their hopes, struggles, and the urgent need for global action.