Since we started supporting education projects in Zambia in 2006 the government has changed the curriculum three times. This time it is based on the UK system and the good news is that pupils in state schools can now take their A levels, whereas previously they could only take them at private schools or during a foundation year at university or college.
Initially, this will mean extra work for teachers and administrators but it will done in phases and will help children in the future. Primary schools will now go from grades 1 to 6 and secondary will start from forms 1 to 4. This will considerably increase the number of pupils enrolling in secondary schools, resulting in the need for more classrooms and desks!
Nguba Secondary School which was recently built by orphans who were on our orphan sponsorship programme saw its first intake of pupils this week. Six pupils from Singwamba Primary school, where we recently built a teacher’s flat, did well in their exams and were offered places at Nguba. However, their parents could not afford to buy their uniforms and other educational needs. In cases such as this girls are often forced into early marriages. To avoid this happening we have included all six pupils on The Butterfly Tree’s orphan sponsorship programme.
Two new primary schools in Kalomo District are currently under construction – one at Simukumbwa, funded by Victor Ubogu, the former England rugby player. This school will get a 1×2 classroom block. The other one at Namchele, funded by one of our long-term donors, will have a 1×3 classroom block and a teacher’s house. Once completed the schools will be handed over to the Ministry of Education who will provide trained teachers.
We have now completed the first phase of an invaluable special education project, entitled ‘Improving Education for Young People with Special Needs.’ This includes teacher training sessions, the production of a training manual, community sensitization, and the provision of educational materials and specialized equipment.
Zambia practices an inclusive education system, which according to teachers results in pupils with special needs being neglected. Mukuni Primary School is the only school in the Kazungula District that has a separate facility, which we built in 2009. Thanks to a generous donation from our Canadian partners, Give a Hand, this project is making a difference. The teacher training sessions have already taken place at 7 of the 9 zones where teachers from almost all of the District’s 161 schools were in attendance.
The Heads of the District’s and Mukuni’s Special Education conducted the sessions and the teacher training manual has been drafted. In addition, each school has received wheelchairs, crutches, textbooks, school bags, and educational material, specifically for pupils with mental and physical challenges. The next phase of funding will be used to complete the training sessions, for community sensitization, and to purchase more specialized equipment such as braille, hearing aids and further learning materials.
After the long drought, that finally broke in December, crops are growing and communities are hoping for a bumper harvest, though most grain crops will not be ripe for another couple of months. Consequently, there is still widespread hunger and clinics reported that adults, as well as children, are suffering from malnutrition. We recently donated ground maize and soya chunks to 100 mothers who have children listed as severe malnutrition cases at Kauwe and Singwamba health centres.
We have funds in place to initiate another women’s food security project and the eight we implemented last year are making profits from the sale of vegetables. All of them are helping orphans and vulnerable people in their communities as well as their own families.
Thank you to everyone who has supported The Butterfly Tree.
Jane Kaye-Bailey
Founder
