OUR COMMUNITY
Situated in one of the poorest countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the community of Chitemalesa with approximately 10,000 people, faces a number of spiritual, economic, and humanitarian challenges. The name itself translates to “Stoning God”. In addition to the evident spiritual darkness that the name indicates, Chitemalesa is known for lack of education and literacy, alcohol and drug abuse, underage marriage and pregnancy, and prostitution. The village has a very high unemployment rate which adds to the previous issues. It is located approximately 60 kilometers from the capital, Lusaka. Chitemalesa is a community that resides in the Rafunsa district, in an area of mostly rural farmsteads. A large portion of Zambia is made up of subsistence farmers and agriculture is a major part of the Zambian economy, although not the largest part of its GDP.
In Zambia over 60 percent of people live below the poverty line and 42 percent are classified as extremely poor. Most live on less than $1.90 per day, which would include most of Chitemalesa. Food insecurity is high because many people do not have access to a regular food supply. Due to high food prices families spend approx. 64 percent of their income on basic food needs.
