Introduction
Located in Southern Africa, Zambia is roughly the size of Texas surrounded by eight other countries. With a human history that dates as far back as two million years, Zambia has been called one of "the cradles of the human race."
Today, the country is most renowned for its mighty Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, known to Zambians as "Musi-o-Tunyi" or "The Smoke That Thunders." Zambia is rich with many natural resources, including great stocks of precious metals, some of nature's most beguiling wildlife and game reserves, and 40% of the fresh water in Southern Africa. Yet, it also faces numerous obstacles such as limited foreign and domestic investment, a legacy of authoritarian leadership, poor road and power infrastructure, the scourge of HIV and malaria, economic corruption, and the lack of quality education.
Historically, Zambia has known more peace than many of its African neighbors who have suffered from ethnic, religious, and political conflicts. When in the 1960's Zambia became an independent republic, it was the world's third largest producer of copper and was apparently positioned to be one of the continent's richest countries. Following the collapse of the world copper market in 1975, however, and the subsequent political corruption and mismanagement, Zambia has been reduced to the status of one of the world's poorest countries, ranking 164th out of 177 on the United Nations Development Project's Human Development Index. Nearly 87% percent of Zambians survive on less than US$2 per day. (1) To further exacerbate the situation, Zambia is one of sub-Saharan Africa's most highly urbanized countries; while rural areas remain sparsely populated, almost half of the population of eleven million live in a few urban zones on the major transportation corridors. These demographics contribute to serious unemployment and underemployment problems, as well as test the efforts to provide quality healthcare and education for all Zambians.
Disease is one of Zambia's greatest challenges and a threat to Zambia's future development, particularly HIV/AIDS and malaria. Approximately, 17% of adults in Zambia are infected with HIV, and more than 20% of Zambian children have lost one or both parents to the epidemic. Some 75,000 children are homeless, and the number of children not attending primary school exceeds 700,000. (2) Despite these staggering statistics and the amount of attention given to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, malaria remains the leading killer of Zambian children. It is estimated that a million or more African children younger than five years old die from malaria every year. (3) Education can help reduce the spread of both of these virulent diseases and offer Zambian children the hope of a future.
Educational Challenges
Because more than half of Zambians are sixteen years old or younger, the country's educational system faces an incredible burden. Although literacy rates for youth have slightly improved in the last twenty years, many challenges remain. Literacy among women (60%) still lags well behind that of men (76%). (4) Educational infrastructure is inadequate overall, but there is also a great disparity between the resources that go to urban schools and the meager supplies available to rural schools. Educational resources are lacking as well. If a school or children's library exists in a community, it typically has few books, educational materials, or even a library management system in place. The Ministry of Education (MOE) is struggling to promote a culture of reading among adults and children. Lack of student enrollment is another significant issue. Some 19% of primary school-age children do not attend school; this number jumps to an appalling 70% for secondary school. (5)
The government of Zambia formalized a commitment to improving access to education and advancing national education standards that includes the establishment of educational goals (adopted in 1996) and strategies to implement those goals. The objectives include the elimination of school fees for grades 1-7, ensuring that children enter school at an early age and remain for seven years; the rehabilitation of existing facilities or construction of new facilities; and the creation of effective partnerships between communities and the MOE in order mobilize local and donor funds to improve school infrastructure. Despite all the achievements that have been recorded to date, the MOE faces many challenges that include the following:
- Insufficient teaching and learning material
- Lack of basic school resources (desks, tables, and chairs) and inadequate infrastructure
- High attrition rates, especially at the secondary school level
- High school fees and associated costs such as uniforms and supplies
- High teacher turnover and high teacher/pupil ratio
- Under-representation of girls, especially at secondary school level
- Insufficient teacher training
- Resource imbalances between urban and rural schools
- High cost of producing teaching and learning materials
- A negative national attitude towards reading
Room to Read's local approach and tested programs will help provide the constructive impact on the Zambian educational system that will make a positive difference in Zambia's future.
Room to Read's Role
In 2007, Room to Read will begin to supply thousands of children with enhanced educational resources and infrastructure. In February 2007, we hired a Zambia Country Director who is building a talented local team comprised of the School Room, Reading Room, and Local Language Publishing Program Officers. Together, the team will partner with Zambian communities to address the country's specific educational needs.
Our goals for our first year in Zambia are ambitious:
- Begin partnering with local NGO's
- Establish 100-150 libraries
- Network with local illustrators, authors and publishers and publish three local language titles (languages to be determined)
- Launch our School Room Program and construct as many as fifteen schools
- Implement internal monitoring systems for each program
Programs & Results
| Program | Total Thru 2007 | 2008 (Projected) |
|---|---|---|
| Libraries Established | - | 50 |
| New Local Language Titles | - | - |
| Schools Constructed | - | - |
| Girls on Scholarship | - | 200 |
| Computer & Language Labs Established | - | - |
How You Can Help
"An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest."
- Benjamin Franklin
Forever altering the lives of the children of the world by providing them with an education is an essential and attainable goal. Every human being deserves the right to the knowledge and self-determination provided by the ability to read and write. World change starts with educated children. You can make the difference by getting involved in one of the following ways:
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Donate to Room to Read Zambia. |
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Sponsor the construction of a school, help establish one or more libraries, or sponsor a local language children's book title in Zambia. |
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Learn about volunteer opportunities with Room to Read. |
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Sign up for our email newsletter to get regular updates on the organization, our programs, and more. |
(1) UNESCO
(2) UNICEF
(3) World Bank
(4) UNESCO
(5) UNESCO
