About the Foundation
A Little Goes a Long Way in Zambia
Zambians are known for their warmth and strong sense of community, and the country has had a stable government for more than a decade. Zambia is rich in natural resources like copper. However, it mostly exports those resources as raw materials, so it keeps less of the value they create.
Poverty is widespread. About 60% of Zambians live on less than $2.15 a day.
For many families, that means hard choices. Children may need to work or find food instead of going to school. A family might be able to send one or two children to school, while the others help make ends meet.
School meals matter. About 70% of Zambian children rely on their school meal as their main food for the day, which makes school feeding programs crucial to learning.
Many students stop after primary school. About 37% of children leave school after primary school ends in grade 7, so only 63% go on to secondary school (grades 8 to 12).
Few finish high school. Only 27% of girls and 35% of boys earn a high school diploma.
Women lead in business. Despite social barriers and limited access to education, women run more than 60% of Zambia’s small businesses, a far higher share than the global average.
About the Foundation
We’re a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donations may be eligible for corporate matching programs, and we accept gifts from donor-advised funds.
We’re on the ground. Our Executive Director, Naomi Mungo Kovas, is Zambian and lives in Livingstone.
We work with the community. We partner with officials from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, local chiefs, head teachers, tradespeople, parents and other NGOs in the region.
Your dollar goes further. Our administrative costs are very low, so nearly all of your donation goes directly to the people and projects we support. And because costs in Zambia are low, every dollar goes further there.
Celebrating Our Amazing Executive Director
Every organization is only as good as its team, and that’s doubly true when you’re working on projects halfway around the world! ZJMF is so grateful for Naomi Mungo Kovas and her husband, Peter Kovas. This dynamic duo makes all of the foundation’s work possible.
Naomi’s leadership reaches well beyond ZJMF. She is a founding member and secretary of the Livingstone Rotary Club. She was also selected as Vice Secretary of the Southern Province Group of the Council of NGOs in Zambia, where she represents NGOs from the region at the national level. She recently spoke at the council’s national conference.
None of these roles keep Naomi from getting her hands dirty. Whether she’s working on the Natebe Cooking and Eating Shelter job site, delivering bags of clothes to children in need or cutting yards of fabric for our next batch of washable sanitary pads, Naomi gets it done!