Mothers Without Borders

Educating Children & Youth: At Mothers Without Borders, we believe that education is one of the most powerful tools for breaking the cycle of poverty and creating self-sufficient futures. That's why we support children and youth with access to quality education, nutritious meals, and a safe, supportive environment where they can grow, learn, and thrive.On our Lusaka West property, we operate a primary school for over 800 children from the surrounding community where children receive education and daily school lunch. This school provides first through seventh grade education, after which many of the students continue onto our Youth Empowerment programs which provide higher education and vocational training sponsorships, as well as youth mentoring. During school breaks, when school-based meals aren't available, we distribute food directly to families to ensure children do not go hungry.In 2024, we further developed our food relief program, which provided more than 725,000 meals to our program beneficiaries in Zambia. Core to our food relief program are our agriculture projects, which includes fruit orchards, crops, and animal cultivation (including chicken and duck projects). The food developed from our agriculture projects supplements the daily lunches we provide to 6 community schools, which serve an average of 4,000 children each day. These school feeding programs have led to increased enrollment at each of the partner schools over the past year, as well as relieving a major financial burden from the families of these students.

Empowering Youth & Women: At Mothers Without Borders, we believe that empowering youth and women is essential to building strong, resilient communities. Our work is rooted in the understanding that when women and young people have the tools, skills, and support to thrive, they can overcome barriers, break cycles of poverty, and transform the future for themselves and those around them.Participation in our Youth Empowerment Programs grew from 526 youth in 2023 to 1,627 in 2024, thanks in part to a strategic partnership with UNICEF, which expanded our reach and capacity. These programs include mentorship, life skills development, leadership training, and support for continued education or vocational training. Graduates of our youth programs may also join our entrepreneurial training and microloan initiative, which helps them start small businesses and achieve financial independence. In 2024, 19 youth empowerment graduates accessed loans.Additionally, our Women's Clubs expanded significantly in 2024, increasing from 6 groups to 24, serving 380 women (up from 174 in 2023). These clubs offer a powerful combination of peer support, entrepreneurial training, and access to microloans, enabling women to start or grow income-generating businesses. In addition to improving household income, the clubs provide a vital network of solidarity and empowerment for women navigating poverty, widowhood, and caregiving.We provided funding that supports part or full time employment to 98 Zambians during 2024 (an increase from 94 Zambian employees in 2023) who run all programming in Zambia, providing income to the families of each employee and ensuring our programs are 100% locally led.

International Advocacy and Education: At Mothers Without Borders, we engage the international community through volunteer expeditions that raise awareness of the challenges faced in Zambia and the power of community-led solutions. In 2024, Mothers Without Borders hosted five volunteer expedition teams in Zambia, bringing together 90 participants from 15 U.S. states and 4 countries, including Canada, Denmark, Australia, and Thailand. These participants supported local service projects, strengthened cross-cultural understanding, and returned as advocates for vulnerable women, youth, and children.