Education is a human right and key to unlocking endless opportunities but many young people are denied access to even basic schooling or skills training.
24 January marks the UN International Day of Education. We are proud that the work we are doing is contributing to improving access to education in Zambia; it is at the very heart of what we do.
We build community buildings such as schools, while at the same time training young, unemployed individuals in construction skills.
We build latrines at most of our community school projects. These help to give girls a better chance of a fair education providing privacy and sanitary conditions and helping to reduce the rate of girls dropping out of school.
We build accommodation for teachers which encourages qualified teachers to move to rural schools. This helps to increase the quality of teaching, giving parents more confidence and hope for their children’s future.
Skills and knowledge are the foundations upon which we all build our careers, our families and communities. Our Training into Work programme helps young people into employment, to be able to earn a living and enjoy new opportunities.
Not only do we offer the opportunity to learn practical skills in construction, we also support them with life skills. Valuable skills like team work, communication and confidence building which helps them in all aspects of their lives. Our approach gives a hand-up, not a hand-out, and the opportunity to build themselves a brighter future.
Gosten Nyanga was one of our trainees who helped us build a new science block Linda Community School. The new lab has proved a great success for the pupils who are now keen to learn science in a hands-on way!
When Gosten moved to the city, he looked for construction work: “I knew nothing when I first started,” Gosten admits. “My friends started teaching me and I learnt quickly.”
However, Gosten jumped at the opportunity to train with us; “I learnt a lot during the training about how to build things the right way,” he explains, “and best of all, by the end of it I had a qualification on paper that I could show clients, so that they’d trust me to help build their houses.”
“I’m now able to take care of my family without worrying,” says Gosten. “I’m saving for my own plot to build a big house for them. I love building houses!”
Images by Jennifer Bruce, Communications for Development Ltd.
