Zambia is home to over 16 million people, 50% of which are under the age of 18. Unemployment in some areas is as high as 80% and poverty levels are extreme. Education, therefore, must become the highest priority to every community in every province.

This education must reach all who are in need, including adult literacy programs that help parents support their school age children and family wellness programs that provide food, crisis management, medical, counseling and other needs pursuant to enabling a child to go to school. Much progress has been made through education policies that provide vision and strategy for education provision. These, however, can take many years to be implemented and the reality is that funding for the improvement programs is very slow in coming.

In Zambia, there are many schools and other organizations targeting primary education assistance. Government employs and pays the salaries of teachers in the government schools but there isn’t money left after that for the other expenses of running a school. Primary schools are supposed to be free by law but with no funds forthcoming from the government for the everyday expenses of schools, PTAs are formed and a budget prepared that parents, teachers and school administration can agree on and small fees are paid by students on an annual basis and per term (3 times per year).

Secondary schools (grades 8-12) have the same challenges but they are much more difficult because not as many programs exist to help the older children. Those who don’t do well in lower grades (1-7) often just stop going because there is no money or desire on the part of parents to have their child repeat a grade level multiple times without success or to continue on. Some do go but fall further behind if there is not help in the form of tuitions and extra lessons which create even more expense. When coupled with the need for school supplies, uniforms and other requirements, becomes an insurmountable expense for the families, especially in the case of vulnerable children who are often orphans living with siblings, aunts and uncles, or grandparents. Classroom sizes in the upper grades can be as many as 70 children with a single teacher, clearly not very conducive to learning success for struggling students.

To the extent that academic success is at some point deemed unlikely, alternatives must be raised. There are a number of vocational learning “centers” locally that can provide education in the form of a trade that has excellent potential for interested students.

In recent years, studies by UNICEF, UNESCO and others have indicated that approximately 47% of youths 15-24 years of age have achieved at best incomplete primary education. This means that approximately 5 million young adults have little or no chance of creating an income-generating livelihoods in an environment where unemployment is so high. High drop-out rates due to lack of access, lack of funding, early pregnancy, early marriage, and in some areas, lack of safety, contribute to this situation. It is our belief that this is a community problem that demands community ownership. Therefore, we are suggesting that a broad network of individuals and organizations - all working together - own the responsibility.