Facts about Zambia

I thought I would share some informative and fun facts about Zambia with all of you:
*Zambia is slightly larger than Texas
*The countries that Zambia borders are Angola, Congo, Zambabwe, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and Namibia.
*Victoria Falls (which is a national wonder of the world) is located in Southern Zambia.
*The terrain is mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains
*Half the population is under the age of 15 years old.
*The life expectancy at birth is 37 years old.
*It is published that 16.5 % of the population has AIDS (but it is actually closer to 30%)
*Christianity is the main religion followed by Muslim and Hindu.
*The languages that people speak are Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages and I will have to learn one of them!
*Zambis is split into 9 different provinces and the Peace Corps works in 6 of them.
*86% of the population lives below the poverty line.
*The unemployment rate is 50%.
*The averge family lives off 75 dollars. I will be given $200...I will be rich.
*There are 91,440 km of highways and 71,323 km are unpaved.
*There are 10 airports with paved runways and 99 are unpaved.
*One of the best countries for safaris!!
Well guys...this is the country that I will be living in for 27 months...CRAZY!!

Address during training

Hello everybody,
I just wanted to let everybody know what my address will be during the first 3 months while I am in training. Make sure you write "Air Mail" or "Par Avion" on all letters and please number them. On average it will take around 2-4 weeks for a letter and more for a package but I will be so excited when I get them. On packages write "Religious Material" and never say the value is more than $10. It is important to write "Religious Material" because the country is very religious and the package should arrive in the condition that it was sent. Never say the value is more than $10 so they do not open it!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. Everything you send will be greatly appreciated!

Katie Gottbreht/PCT
PEACE CORPS
P.O. Box 21527
Kitwe, Zambia

After training is completed and I pass my tests, I will be moved out of Kitwe and will get a new address.

My assignment

I will be leaving the United States on 1-22-2006 for ZAMBIA. Zambia is south of Tanzania and north of Zimbabwe. It is one of the safest countries in Africa but it is undeveloped. I will be working with a program called Community Action for Health Project (CAHP) and my job will be Community Health Development Extensionist. My project aims to support the health reform program. I will work with the Ministry of Health, rural health centers, district, provincial and national levels to help maintain and develop sustainable community based health committees. My direct project hopes to improve the overall health and well being of the rural population. I will also educate them on 6 basic principles which are: HIV/AIDS, STDS, Water and Sanitation, Child Health and Nutrition, Reproductive Health and Family Planning and Malaria. I will be living in a typical Zambian house which consists of a small clay brick house with a thatched roof, a pit latrine and a bath shelter outside. I will not have electricity of running water for the length of my stay there. I will receive a bike which will be my main form of transportation. It sounds quite intense but I am really excited for the next chapter in my life.
For the first 3 months, I will be living in Kitwe which is north of Lusaka for my training. I will learn one of four African languages and live with a host family. After the 3 months is up and I pass my tests then I will move to one of 6 provinces in Zambia and my work will start.