Situation

Because of the poverty in 2004 the Zambian goverment was forced to impose the free school attendance for the children from the 1st to 7th grade of elementary school. Despite this the pupils don’t come to school.There are still many problems connected with potential attendance: high charges for buying the school uniforms and stuff and expensive transport tickets, long distances from schools to home of children and bad infrastructure (in the time of rains the majority of the roads is not accessible), high charges for accommodation in boarding schools, neccesity of children work in the families… The quality of education of Zambian children is limited by their high number in one class – usually there are between 60 and 80 of them in charge of only one teacher. Today there are 50% of Zambian children attending school and only 55% of adult population is literate. Pursuing the studies is too expensive for the majority of families. That’s why even a lot of adults don’t have the important information and don’t know basic habitudes (hygienics, education of children, agriculture,….)

Current activities :

Establishing of community nursery schools and normal schools with following qualities: free-for-all children, accessibility, without obligation of wearing school uniformes, individual treatment of children, smaller number of children in one class (building of enough schools for the local number of children), teachers volunteers – teaching just for voluntary in-kind contribution of children’s parents. Some of these schools got state accreditation, in the others children have to pass comparative exams at state schools (successfully). Children in nursery schools learn by games the basics of reading, writing, mother tongue and foreign language. After absolving this they are capable to participate and progress in normal school, which is more difficult, due to hard conditions there. Learning programs for adults- basic information about agriculture, medical care, ethical values, housekeeping, entrepreneurial activitities. Participating in these programs the adults are taught to use the acquired information in their real life. These courses endure 2 years.

Success :

● 4 functional elementary schools – Renato, Kebamba, Nabobantu, Nyenyezi ● 2 functional nursery schools – Renato, Kebamba ● Learning programs for adults – regular meetings (once a week) ● Increasing number of participants