U.S. Department of State Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for African Affairs Matthew Harrington completes three-day visit to Zambia on February 2-4th 2020
The United States and Zambia Partnering Together
NR/1228/02/04/2020
CONTACT: Julien Kreuze
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Deputy Public Affairs Officer
February 4, 2020 Phone: +260 211 357000
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary Harrington Visits Lusaka
LUSAKA – U.S. Department of State Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for African Affairs Matthew Harrington completed a three-day visit to Zambia on February 2-4, as part of a broader visit to Southern Africa. During his visit, DAS Harrington and President Edgar Lungu shared a frank and candid discussion on the U.S.-Zambian relationship in which DAS Harrington underscored unwavering commitment to the human rights and dignity of all Zambians. DAS Harrington also reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the health and prosperity of the Zambian people during tours of several programs supported by the American people. 
In Kalingalinga, DAS Harrington toured projects supported by USAID and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. Kalingalinga hosts one of forty DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-Free, Mentored, and Safe) sites across Zambia, which have engaged over 200,000 girls and young women to keep them HIV/AIDS free. There, a group of young women shared how they have benefited from DREAMS’s critical services, such as HIV testing and counseling, family planning, and financial literacy and economic empowerment programs. DAS Harrington also met with U.S. Peace Corps volunteers providing important health and education services. Peace Corps Zambia is the largest Peace Corps program in the world, with more than 270 volunteers living and working in communities throughout Zambia.
At the U.S.-funded Women’s Entrepreneurship Access Center (WEAC), DAS Harrington met inspiring women entrepreneurs determined to improve the lives of their families and the future of their country. WEAC is a co-implementer of the U.S. government’s Academy for Women Entrepreneurs, a program that provides practical tools, networks and mentorship to 100 women seeking to build their businesses in Zambia. The U.S. Embassy’s partnership with WEAC is part of the U.S. government’s commitment to promoting women’s empowerment and private sector entrepreneurship, the success of which is critical to securing Zambia’s economic future.
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