Eastern Province Women's Development Association (EPWDA) was founded in 1996 (and registered in 1997 with the Registrar of Societies of the laws of Zambia) as a non-profit, non-governmental (NGO) umbrella organization for eight District Women Development Associations (DWDAs) and their respective Area Women Development associations (AWDAs) in the Eastern Province of Zambia. EPWDA represents some 24,623 women, but its work affects more than hundreds of thousands people: women, men and children living in the rural areas of Eastern Zambia.

In 1999 EPWDA established the Secretariat in the centre of Chipata, Zambia. Besides running the daily administrative tasks of EPWDA, the Secretariat serves as a communication centre for the province-wide association. EPWDA's emphasis is on democratic bottom-up decision-making structure with the following mission:


EPWDA's MISSION:

EPWDA’s mission is to empower rural women socially, economically, culturally, politically and legally. We aim to facilitate the development aspirations of rural women. EPWDA undertakes various developmental activities to improve the living standards of rural women and girls, including income generation, literacy training, agroforestry and HIV/AIDS awareness. EPWDA also provides a forum for networking, sharing ideas and experiences and gather and disseminate information relevant to rural women. In the course of years EPWDA has become a sought-after partner in development both nationally and internationally.

EPWDA's OBJECTIVES:

•    To lobby and advocate for the improvement of the living standards of rural women in the Eastern Province of Zambia

•    To provide a forum for networking, sharing ideas and experiences

•    To foster the spirit of co-operation among rural women in the Eastern Province

•    To constitute an umbrella for all District Women Development Associations (DWDAs)

•    To collect and disseminate information relevant especially to rural women

•    To help resolve problems which may be beyond the capacity of DWDAs

•    To co-ordinate and monitor activities of the DWDAs and AWDAs