For most of her nine years, Regina Banda watched from a distance. From the doorway of the family home in Chipapa Ward, she would watch other children playing outside. She could not move easily, could not attend school regularly, could not join in.

Today, she can.

"I like playing with my friends now," Regina says. "I don't stay alone anymore. We play together, and I feel happy."

Regina lives with her grandmother in Mambwe District, in Zambia's Eastern Province. She is one of the beneficiaries of the Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience (DiDRR) Project — an initiative funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), supported by Christian Blind Mission (CBM), and implemented on the ground by ADRA Zambia.

During routine household visits under the DiDRR Project, Regina's condition was assessed by project staff. Recognising the need for specialised care, the project facilitated her referral to a hospital in Lusaka, where she received medical treatment and rehabilitation. Since her return home, her family and community have watched her steadily reclaim the parts of childhood the condition had taken from her.

Her grandmother remembers the years before the intervention.

"Before Regina received treatment, she could not do many things on her own," she says. "She spent most of her time at home and rarely played with other children because of her condition. As a caregiver, it was painful to see her struggle and miss out on the opportunities that other children enjoyed."

The change since her return from Lusaka has been steady, visible, and, for the family, deeply moving.

"Since returning from the hospital, Regina has improved so much," her grandmother says. "She is now more active and can do many things that she was unable to do before. We thank God and everyone who helped make this possible."

The most significant milestone has been Regina's return to school.

"I am very happy that I can now go to school like other children," Regina says. "I enjoy learning and spending time with my friends. Before, it was difficult for me, but now I feel better and stronger."

Her independence at home has taken the family by surprise.

"When we go to work in the garden, we sometimes come back and find that Regina has prepared porridge for her younger sister," her grandmother says. "She even helps to bathe her. These are things she could never do before receiving treatment."

But for her grandmother, the deepest change is not physical.

"The biggest change is seeing Regina happy," she says. "She has confidence now. She interacts with others and wants to be involved in everything. That gives us hope for her future."

The DiDRR Project's work does not stop at medical referrals. Regina's family has also benefited from a second strand of the initiative, the Chipapa Savings Group, of which her grandmother is an active member. The group has evolved from a traditional community savings arrangement into an emerging cooperative, and members have already submitted the required documents to Zambia's Department of Small and Medium Enterprises for formal cooperative registration.

Registration would give members access to opportunities including the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), Zambia's decentralised government funding mechanism, and other empowerment programmes. Several members have already used group savings to establish small businesses, including local tutemba shops, allowing them to diversify income and meet household expenses including school fees.

"The savings group has helped many of us improve our lives," Regina's grandmother says. "Through savings and loans, members have started small businesses and are earning income to support their families. It has given us confidence and hope for the future. We are working hard to become a registered cooperative. When that happens, we will be able to grow our businesses, access more opportunities, and improve our livelihoods even further."

For Regina, the immediate future is simple.

"I want to continue going to school and learning," she says. "I am happy because I can do more things now."

Through household assessments, medical referrals, community engagement, and cooperative development, the DiDRR Project is working to ensure that children with disabilities in Mambwe District, and the families who care for them, are not left behind.