Look into the little girl’s eyes and see her potential. But she will have no chance to realize it unless she can go to school.

Like 700,000 other Zambian children, this child’s parents died of AIDS. Her caretaker—a grandmother, aunt or neighbor—hasn’t enough money to help. For primary school this girl needs the equivalent of $100 each year for books, shoes and a uniform. Secondary school with tuition costs $300.

In her school she needs teachers trained to teach with excellence. Each year of teacher college costs $1,500.

Our mission is for children like her to go on to secondary school and university and become one of Zambia’s leaders.

You can help us to fulfill the promise of these children.

We at CWB know you want to help children in Zambia go to school. You can be a hero for these children.

Please make a tax-deductible gift today!

By Barney Freiberg-Dale, Communities Without Borders

Among the schools in Zambia that are supported by Communities Without Borders is the community school in Sekelela, a small village in the distant suburbs of the capital, Lusaka. Residents of Sekelela struggle with irregular employment in construction and manufacturing, and operating street stalls to sell miscellaneous items, as well as raising animals and produce on their parcels of land. Many of them find it difficult or impossible to regularly pay the $100 annual student fees that the school asks for each child enrolled in the school.

Among the school’s “challenges” (the Zambian euphemism for what many would see as overwhelming obstacles) is that of educating girls. When I first visited the school, their only toileting privacy was grass-walled, dirt-floored latrines, in which it was hard for the adolescent girls to deal with their menstrual cycles. As well, lack of feminine hygiene products was a significant barrier. Most girls simply stayed home on such days, greatly compromising their attendance and thus limiting their learning. Last year, four of the female students had to drop out due to pregnancy. Add all this to the fact that, like most traditional societies, education of girls is less valued than that of boys, and as a result, girls were not getting adequate education.

The headmaster for the school, Mrs. Mwale, is taking an administrative leave to pursue education leading to a teacher’s certificate. Stephen Nkhata is a charismatic young man who grew up in Sekelela and gained his education there and in government schools. He has become the lead teacher in the school. He bubbles with eagerness to bring education to the children of his village. So in Mrs. Mwale’s absence, Stephen has led the other teachers in developing a program to address the needs of girls. What he and the other teachers have accomplished in the last year is really remarkable.

The first thing I noticed is that the old grass latrines have been replaced by secure masonry ones – a huge improvement for the girls’ privacy. There is a Girls’ Club, which gives the girls social supports, including sex education. Modern feminine hygiene products are also made available. Not only have pregnancies been reduced to zero, but three of the four girls who delivered babies last year were successfully re-enrolled. The difficulties of achieving this are enormous. It required convincing the families to support them with childcare as well as finances, and persuading the girls themselves of the importance of the education.

The Sekelela Community School is achieving student test results higher than the national average of government supported schools. But here’s what kills me: because the only source of teacher salaries is from student fees, most of the year Stephen and his fellow teachers end up working for free. They are forced to support themselves with miscellaneous jobs elsewhere. Now Stephen is engaged, so when he and his wife begin a family of their own, I sincerely hope that he will be able to support them with a teacher’s salary. If not, Sekelala will be at risk of losing a remarkable, dedicated teacher.

 

Visiting the Sekelele School

I had heard heart-warming stories of the impact of CWB for many years, but this summer, I was really excited to travel to Lusaka and experience this amazing opportunity. Seeing the smiling faces, the eager children and friendly people everywhere was beautiful. We brought glasses and ran vision screenings in conjunction with the CWB health screenings. We introduced Days for Girls, a washable sanitary napkin system wrapped up in pretty colorful cloth bags. The goal is for a sustainable sewing business to market them, and to avoid lost school days for the girls. 

It was great to see the improvements and changes the schools and communities had made with the support of CWB. We were treated to special celebrations of songs and dances and felt very welcomed and appreciated. Dr. Dick Bail and CWB have developed true working relationships with several communities, and they continue to look for appropriate strategies to strengthen the education and health opportunities, focusing on the children.

— Kate Mason, 2016 traveler

New to the organization, this summer I took a first trip to Zambia to see how CWB was doing there. Like the 15 other travelers in our group, I paid my own way and engaged in two weeks of intense activity to promote the welfare of orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia. Perhaps the moment I most came to appreciate the value of CWB’s efforts was when I met four thirteen-year olds who explained to me that without the help of CWB their education would have ended in 7th grade. Edna, Sampson, David and Royce all come from difficult family situations and live in Lusaka’s shanty towns. At age 13, they could have been on their own without outside help. Instead they are now thinking of becoming teachers, journalists, army officers, and lawyers. Yet they are only four of the many students CWB is helping, students whose individual lives I could see are changing for the better because of the contribution of CWB’s dedicated supporters.

— Louis Licht, retired diplomat, CWB Board Member, and 2016 traveler

CWB is observing the UN’s International Day of the Girl Child with a message from Theresa Lungu, CWB’s newest board member, about how CWB is supporting education for girls in Lusaka.

 

Theresa Lungu is a native of Luanshya, Zambia, in the Copper Belt. She is the founder of Books for Zambia, and the author of novels Twilight in the Morning and Torment of an Angel.  Theresa is a graduate of Boston College and a recipient of the Dean’s Award for Creative Writing. She is currently an employee of Harvard University.