EDUCATION

Priscilla, 13, learning in class.

EDUCATION

CONTEXT

Learning outcomes in Zambia are low. National learning poverty stands at 98.5 percent for children under the age of 10 (World Bank, 2022). Only 4 percent of Grade 2 learners can read at grade level, while over 75 percent of Grade 5 learners fail to meet minimum reading proficiency standards (USAID, 2021; Examinations Council of Zambia, 2022). Access to early childhood education remains limited, with only 50.9 percent of Grade 1 entrants having ECE experience in 2024, despite progress from 2021, amid very low public investment in ECE at just 0.1 percent (Ministry of Education, 2024).

KEY INITIATIVES

  • Disability inclusion and Gender; working with Organizations for Persons with Disabilities and building teacher capacity to deliver quality inclusive education and remove barriers for girls' education.
  • Partnerships; working across networks, CSOs and partnering with other like-minded organizations in promotion of quality education
  • Innovations with Technology; promotion of Education Technology
  • Promote safe schools, Literacy, child participation and resilient schools through climate in Education initiatives.
  • Systems strengthening -working with government to ensure provision of quality education.

PROJECTS

Thando walking home from school with her friends Vanessa, Grace, and Lindiwe

Thando is in the fifth grade at school in Zambia. She benefits from Sponsorship programming in her school and village. Her father is a clinical officer at a local health clinic which is supported by Save the Children. Following in her father's footsteps, Thando wants to be a doctor when she grows up to help the sick. Kelvin Mulenga/Save the Children

CHILDREN'S FUTURE PROGRAM

The Children’s Future Program is a program implemented by Save the Children in partnerships with Young Happy Health and Safe (YHHS), Afya Mzuri, Village Water, and Chisomo Community Program. Funded by individual donors from the United States, it runs from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2028, aligning with SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).

Context

  • Target group: Adolescents aged 7 – 18 in three chiefdoms (Kalindawalo, Mumbi, Mwanjawathu) in Petauke District, Eastern Province.

  • Challenges: 

    • High rates of child marriage (11.2% married before 18) and teenage pregnancy (61.5% pregnant before 20).

    • School dropouts due to violence, abuse, poor education quality, and unsafe environments.

    • Cultural norms limiting access to Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (ASRHR) services.

    • Vulnerable groups include orphans, girls with disabilities, and those in economically stressed households.

Goals

  • Safeguard all adolescents (pregnant, married, in school, and out of school) from abuse.

  • Reduce school dropout rates, teenage pregnancies, and early marriages.

  • Improve access to quality education and ASRHR services.

  • Promote child participation and protection through community-driven interventions.

Key Activities

  • Baseline survey and development of Theory of Change and Logic Framework.

  • Establishment of 11 champion schools with water systems, desks, and learning materials.

  • Rollout of Literacy Boost in 83 schools.

  • Formation of child rights and adolescent health clubs in schools.

  • Strengthening school councils and feedback mechanisms.

  • Capacity building for health staff in 26 facilities to provide adolescent-friendly services.

  • Hosting Eastern Provincial Indaba on ending child marriage and teenage pregnancy.

  • Implementation of SHIFT campaign against child marriage and teenage pregnancy.

Let me tell you something

Nalishebo and Namonje enjoying their High Energy Protein supplement provided by Save the Children through the school feeding programme. Malama Mwila / Save the Children

ACCELERATED SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAM

The Accelerated School Feeding Program is an emergence program implemented by Save the Children with leadership of the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) through the Ministry of Education. Funded by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) it runs from November 2024 to March 2025 with a budget of $6.2 million, aligning with SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), and SDG 4 (Quality Education). 

Context

  • Zambia faced an El Niño-induced drought during the 2023/2024 rainy season, affecting 84 out of 116 districts and causing 50% crop loss.
  • About 6.6 million people required humanitarian assistance.
  • 36 districts had no school feeding programs, impacting 2.49 million learners from early childhood to secondary education.
  • The project targets 1,640 schools in 15 districts across Western, Central, Southern, and Lusaka provinces, aiming to feed 895,346 pupils for 120 days.

Goals and Objectives 

  • Provide school meals to learners in drought-affected districts.
  • Improve hygiene practices among learners.
  • Promote safeguarding and protection through training on inclusion, PSEAH (Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment), and feedback mechanisms.
  • Establish robust monitoring and evaluation systems and build capacity for data management.

 

Step 5 - Interlace fingers and rub

Step by step Guide to Hand washing as shown by a child in Zambia. malama mwila

BETTER HEALTH IN SCHOOL PROJECT

Better Health in Schools is a project, implemented by Save the Children in Zambia, the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ), and funded by the Cummins Foundation. Its aims to improve Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) in schools within Kitwe District. It runs from September 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025, with a budget of $114,961.95. It aligns with SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).

  • Target beneficiaries: 11,000 learners and surrounding communities from six schools in Kitwe District, Copperbelt Province of Zambia: Mukuba Secondary, Mindolo Secondary, Chibote Girls Secondary, Wusakile Secondary, Mulenga Combined, and Ipusukilo Primary.

Goals & Objectives

  • Improve access to safe water for students.

  • Promote better hygiene practices.

  • Strengthen WASH governance in schools.

  • Support Menstrual Hygiene Management and sustainability of water systems.

Key Activities

  • Upgrade water infrastructure in six schools.

  • Conduct hygiene and sanitation awareness campaigns, including MHM support.

  • Establish and train School WASH Committees.

  • Strengthen coordination mechanisms at provincial, district, and local levels.