Chilenje is a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

residential area located in

Lusaka Lusaka ( ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was abo ...

city,

Lusaka Province Lusaka Province is one of the ten provinces of Zambia. It is the smallest in terms of land area, covering 21,896 km2. However, it is the most populated and densely populated province in Zambia, with a population of 3,079,964 as of 2022 and ...

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

. It consists of two sections, ''New Chilenje'' and ''Chilenje South''. ''New Chilenje'' is composed mainly of

British Colonial The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or alternatively referred to as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are the fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, while not forming p ...

low cost houses suitable for bachelors. A typical house in this section is the Chilenje museum known as

Chilenje House 394 Chilenje House 394, located in Chilenje, Lusaka, Zambia, is a museum house in which Dr Kenneth Kaunda lived from January 1960 to December 1962. He later became the List of presidents of Zambia, first president of Zambia. From this house, he direct ...

. The other section consists of middle cost houses, according to the Zambian housing standards. Africa Directions describes Chilenje as "a peri-urban township with slightly higher levels of education and income per household than

Mtendere Mtendere, formerly known as Chainama Hills, is a township of Lusaka Lusaka ( ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the cent ...

. While this means families are able to meet basic needs, on the flip side this disposable income also leads to more alcohol and drug abuse. Places that were formally open for youth to play have been converted to bars and taverns attracting youth with their loud music, TVs, and games." For this reason, the PAMO Youth Centre was opened in Chilenje, with support from

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

and

Norwegian Church Aid Norwegian Church Aid (NCA; Norwegian: ''Kirkens Nødhjelp'') is an independent Norwegian humanitarian and ecumenical organization with headquarters in Oslo. It was traditionally affiliated with the state Church of Norway, but has over time deve ...

, in 2004. In 2012, residents were demanding improvements in sanitation and increased medical staffing to end the long queues at the Chilenje Clinic health centre. Construction of the Chilimbulu Road, which was being extended from Kamwala shopping area to Chilenje township resumed in April 2014.

References

{{Reflist Lusaka Populated places in Lusaka Province