Republic of Korea's Support to Help Zambia Reach Zero-Dose Children and Strengthen Vaccine Delivery for Every Child

LUSAKA, Zambia, 15 May 2026 – The Government of the Republic of Zambia, through the Ministry of Health and in partnership with UNICEF, today officially announced new support from the Republic of Korea (ROK) to strengthen immunization services and reach zero-dose and under-immunized children across 25 high zero-dose burden districts in Zambia. More than 500,000 children under five years of age will benefit from this support.

The official meeting in Lusaka brought together Provincial Health Directors, Provincial Nursing Officers, Maternal and Child Health Coordinators, representatives from the Districts Health Directors and National Ministry of Health to guide implementation and coordination across provinces and districts.

Despite progress in national immunization coverage, including reductions in zero-dose children through initiatives such as the Big Catch-Up, many children in rural and hard-to-reach areas continue to miss life-saving vaccines against vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and polio. Barriers include long distances to health facilities, remoteness of communities located in areas with difficult terrain, and highly mobile populations that risk cross-border transmission.

“This support comes at a critical moment as Zambia continues working to close immunization gaps and ensure every child is protected from vaccine-preventable diseases, regardless of where they live,” said Dr. Matilda Kakungu Simpungwe, the Director of Public Health at the Ministry of Health. “By strengthening outreach, outbreak preparedness and vaccine delivery systems, this programme will help us reach children and communities that are too often left behind.”

Given Zambia’s vast geography, approximately 60 per cent of vaccinations are delivered through outreach services conducted by community-based volunteers and healthcare workers. However, limited resources to support outreach, maintain vaccine storage temperatures, and ensure timely and safe distribution of vaccines continue to pose challenges, leaving many children unreached.

The Republic of Korea’s support will address these challenges holistically and aims to reduce the number of zero-dose children by 40 per cent by:

• Upgrading cold chain infrastructure and improving last-mile transport for outreach services;
• Training healthcare workers and community-based volunteers in microplanning, vaccine and cold chain management, demand generation, and data use;
• Updating and operationalizing preparedness and response plans for disease outbreaks; and
• Strengthening community engagement to improve follow-up and uptake of missed vaccinations.

The ROK support rides on previous UNICEF-supported initiatives such as the Catch-Up Immunization Initiative, DRIVE, the Community Health Information Platform (CHiP), and the Health Facility Solar Electrification (HFSE) initiative.

“Reaching zero-dose children requires more than vaccine delivery. It requires strong systems, trained health workers, reliable logistics, and sustained community engagement,” said the UNICEF Representative, OIC, Tinkhani Msonda. “UNICEF is grateful to the Republic of Korea for this important contribution, which will strengthen immunization systems and bring life-saving services closer to every child,” he concluded.

Note to Editors:

The districts benefiting from this intervention are:  Solwezi, Chibombo, Kabwe, Mumbwa, Chipata, Kapiri Mposhi, Sinda, Mansa, Chisamba, Kasenengwa, Chongwe, Mkushi, Mazabuka, Kalomo, Kafue, Kasama, Katete, Monze, Kitwe, Kaoma, Livingstone, Mongu, Kalumbila, Zambezi and Nchelenge.

About the ACT-A Partnership: The Republic of Korea, through the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) partnership, is continuing its support to the Government of Zambia and UNICEF through one grant for immunization and disaster risk reduction, amounting to more than $1.2 million USD. The implementation of programme activities will continue throughout 2026 under the leadership of the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with UNICEF and 25 District Health Authorities. The Ministry of Health and UNICEF are grateful for the continued partnership with the Republic of Korea, whose support will also contribute to Zambia’s ongoing polio outbreak response across six provinces.

Media contacts:

Ms. Georgia Mutale Chimombo, Principal Public Relations Officer, Ministry of Health – [email protected]

Sarah Olympia Talon Sampieri, Advocacy & Communication Officer, UNICEF Zambia – [email protected]