Aids - Women and girls

Young women and girls are the highest HIV infected group in Zambia. Females between 15-24 are twice as likely to carry the virus than their male counterparts. 16.9% of females who live in urban areas carry the virus compared to 10.3% in rural locations. 16.2% of females in Zambia are HIV positive. The general demographic for the highest incidence of infection has been described as "urban females in a long term relationship." The Dynamic Stars, one of the academies that Goal Zambia works with, have 25 female members between 7 and 15 years of age. Both for those that attend school and have parents, or not, this stage is a vital one for the rest of their lives. The factors in the rate of HIV prevalence in this group are many and diverse.

Girls in the compound commonly become sexually active at an early age, sometimes around 10 years old and generally with sexual partners over 5 years their senior who have already had several previous sexual relationships. Extreme poverty means that families are eagerly tempted to marry their daughters off at an earlier than the legal age of 18. The male dowries and economic benefits to this often out way the risk to the girl.The new husband can be another pair of hands in the growing of maize. Many children in the care of unfamiliar extended family members can be at risk from sexual abuse and rape. Work is being done to develop the skills of professionals in health and education in order

Zambia has serious and deep rooted issues with gender inequality. Women are very unlikely to refuse sexual intercourse with their husbands, or insist on the use of a condom. Male to female domestic violence is widespread and often the norm. Children at school play games openly, whereby the boy will remove his belt and beat the compliant girl on the backside. This is perfectly acceptable. Despite the fact that many women are too scared to reveal facts, 15% have reported to have been raped either within or without marriage and although work is in place within Zambia to tackle these problem at the root cause of domestic violence the resources and finances are minimal.

Mother to child transmissions was by far the most common form of infection of people under 15 years of age in 2007 but much progress has been made since then. This has been centred around providing councelling, testing access to preventative services and antiretroviral drugs along with careful tracking of preventative success cases by a central health organisation. Again, there are discrepancies between rural and urban areas in the availability of clinics and logistical problems of accessing them, although there are innovative attempts at tackling theses using mobile phone technology the use of Mother and Baby packs and often most importantly, the training of Health Care staff.  Most Zambians live in rural areas. Programs, where implemented, are working, the challenge is to make them accessible to all.

There is still a long standing belief within some sectors of Zambian society, particularly in rural areas, that sexual intercourse with a virgin will cure the HIV. The practice still takes place. Casual sex workers, as in any country, are at a greater risk, but particularly in landlocked Zambia, and notably at the entry exit points with neighbouring countries.

Girls are sometimes denied the opportunity to go to school, the places the family can afford often given in preference to older male siblings.

Goal Zambia finds it important that the football academies it supports include girls and young women and the Dynamic Stars Academy actively encourage them to join. The Blue Bullet Sporting Academy was formed by two women, Carol and Grace and also focuses on promoting education and sports for it's members in the Mtendere compound of Lusaka.