Our car has absolutely no business driving this rocky (small boulders, really) dirt/mud road—loaded down with four passengers, no less. A sagging bridge up ahead taunts us to attempt the crossing. But we make it across in order to reach the Palabana district rural health center, surrounded by fields of corn and pumpkins, with a few tethered goats thrown in for good measure. A mere 45 kilometers from downtown Lusaka, we could be in far off Western Province in this beautiful rural landscape.

We arrive at the center and are led to a circle of benches under the generous shade of the large acacia tree. We’re meeting with assembled village leaders and health workers to discuss the loss of the five-year sexual and reproductive health (SRH) project that ended in 2006.