The last time the Zambian government built a secondary school was in 1979. So the community of Kachembe took charge. The women fetched sand from the river 2km away and carried it, bucket by bucket, on their heads to the site they had chosen for their school. The men dug the foundations and made the bricks.

Advocacy groups in Zambia are forcing HIV/AIDS issues onto the agenda in the run-up to this month's general election. "All election candidates should make clear their personal commitment to tackling HIV and AIDS because we want Zambian politicians to take a leading role in fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic. We want them to tell us what they will do about the pandemic if we elect them to office, because they should recognise that HIV is as much an election issue as a better economy or improved education."

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has been flooded with complaints by individuals, candidates and political parties of violations of the code of conduct, it has been learnt. Chairperson, Ireen Mambilima, said in Lusaka that the commission had taken the reports seriously and was giving each of it due consideration, while in some cases parties involved had been summoned to the commission to answer charges.

Zambia's HIV/AIDS pandemic is helping to bridge the divide between traditional healers and practitioners of western medicine. Earlier this year the government commissioned the first clinical trials of remedies dispensed by traditional healers who claimed to have found an AIDS cure, fostering closer relations between the two groups of practitioners. About one in five sexually active Zambian adults is infected with HIV/AIDS.

Zambia's at times cavalier media may be forced to tread more cautiously in covering the run-up to this year's general elections. Under a new electoral act they will not be able to publish speculative analysis, unsourced opinion polls or predict the result before the official announcement, unless they are willing to risk a five-year jail sentence or US$2,500 fine.

Zambia's approaching general elections have increased pressure on the government to enact the Freedom of Information bill, more than three years after it was withheld for "wider consultation".

There is need to harness the education sector in Zambia to enhance development. Perth Institute of Business and Technology (PIBT) managing director at the Edith Cowan University (ECU) of Australia Andrew Crevald has said. "Having the private sector operate in the education system in Zambia offers competition as well a solution to meet the inception demand the two Government universities can not stand," Mr Crevald said.

National AIDS Council (NAC) director of programmes, Dr Alex Simwanza, has bemoaned the low testing rates for HIV in the country. "Currently, statistics show that despite our high sustained prevalence levels of HIV infection which is 16 percent, only 1.5 million of our population have been tested, which is too low," he said.

Zambia President Levy Mwanawasa declared himself fit on Thursday 29 June to run for a second five-year term in elections later this year despite suffering a mild stroke, state-run radio reported. Opposition leaders have argued Mwanawasa, who has a history of hypertension, should step down because of poor health.

Zambia has started the process to revoke the status of an estimated 6,000 Rwandan refugees that fled from the genocide in 1994, the Zambian Ministry of Home Affairs announced. The announcement comes amid threats by the UNHCR to send back 10,000 refugees from the DRC illegally settled on Zambia's northern border with the vast central African state following complaints from the Zambian government.

A tiny southern Zambian village has become the focal point of a conflict which pits the poor against a corporation backed by a government determined to roll out economic liberalisation across the country. Over 100 families and 17,000 cattle in the village of Kabanje face eviction from their homes and cattle sheds because Zambia Sugar Plc, a private firm, is claiming ownership of the land.

More refugees from Ethiopia and Somalia have arrived in Zambia through Nakonde border in Northern province. Out of the 52 refugees, three are women and the rest are men aged between 20 and 30 years. Residents of Chinka are said to be unhappy with the government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for not responding in good time to take the refugees to designated places. The residents feel the continued influx of refugees through Chinka is a threat to household food security in the area.

As the world commemorates World Refugee Day on 20th June, it’s worth noting that the history of Zambia and refugees is a history of the overwhelming hospitality of the Zambian people. Zambia has been a citadel of peace for many. The first occurred in 1943 during the second world war when Northern Rhodesia hosted Polish Refugees. The second was in the 1960s after independence when Zambia opened its newly recognised borders to Angolan refugees fleeing from conflict.

The Malaria Consortium office in Zambia is seeking a suitably qualified and highly motivated individual to become a part of a growing international organisation with offices in several African countries and an increasing portfolio of work. The ideal candidate should be able to provide leadership and direction to the office which has been open for the past 18 months.

Somali refugees are leaving Zambian settlement camps, and although they have the right to move, the government and the UN refugee agency are concerned about being used as a "stepping-stone" to other destinations. Peter Mumba, permanent secretary of the Zambian Ministry of the Interior, told IRIN: "Out of the over 120 Somali refugees that we officially registered in March this year, only two are in Meheba camp now. This is a very sad situation for us, because it will make us to start treating every refugee with suspicion."

Zambian authorities have confirmed that the repatriation of thousands of Angolan refugees had been stalled owing to a cholera outbreak in the western neighbouring country that has killed more than 1 400 people. Home affairs permanent secretary Peter Mumba said the cholera situation in Angola was "worrisome" and there was need to be cautious in the repatriation exercise.

This medium-sized settlement, just west of Lusaka, looks like a standard African market town as you approach it on the road. It all looks ordinary and typically African - until you look into the distance and realise that at the end of the main street is an enormous modern building that completely dominates the vista. It is a South African-owned supermarket. It is an indication of how deep the influence of liberalisation has reached in Zambia.

Police on the trail of millions of pounds in government funds allegedly stolen by a former Zambian president raided a solicitors' office in North London. The raids in Edgware were part of a corruption case being brought against Frederick Chiluba. Zambian anti-corruption investigators accuse Mr Chiluba of transferring public funds to an account in the Zambian National Commercial Bank in London. They have filed a civil claim against him and 17 former officials over the alleged theft of £13 million.

Police in Kitwe yesterday (May 15) arrested seven pupils from Mindolo High School and Mama Monty Basic School after they ran amok and destroyed school property. The pupils also temporarily blocked the Chingola road using rocks and threatened to stone motorists, who were forced to turn back on either side of the road. The pupils were protesting over the current strike by teachers in Kitwe.

This 51- page Zambian advocacy resource book is aimed at individuals, community groups, People Living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA), youth and school pupils, district level organisations, teachers associations, church groups, local government leaders and others concerned and wanting to make a positive contribution to the response to HIV and AIDS in Zambia.