In 2019 the VisionZambia Education Fund paid school fees for 28 pupils who otherwise would be unable to continue their education. You can make a difference to more young people by donating to our Education Fund here.

Why are we starting the Education Fund?

Linda Community School near Lusaka is committed to educating those vulnerable children in the community who cannot afford the fees or transport to attend a government school. In Zambia all children have to pay school fees: up to grade 7 this costs around £24 per year. Many of these vulnerable pupils at Linda School are doing piece work earning the equivalent of 20-50 pence a day to find the money to pay for their own education. By secondary stage the cost of their schooling rises to around £93 per year. So it becomes much more difficult for children without parents, or whose parents are sick or in need, to afford to cover these costs.

In 2018 VisionZambia built the first secondary classrooms for the School and admitted the first grade 10 pupils in January this year. Doreen Nzila, the Head Teacher, tells us that for these children the chance to reach grade 12 is the difference between being able to go to college and get a job or as she puts it ‘languishing in the compound’. However, 75% of the children in this Grade 10 class are unable to afford the fees.

Meet James Mulenga

James is a double orphan who was raised initially by neighbours until they found his aunt. She could not afford school fees for James who was desperate to join his friends at school where he saw the chance of a brighter future. He started doing piece work on neighbouring farms earning the equivalent of 5p a day to afford primary school fees. When he couldn’t afford secondary school fees he approached Doreen for support and was thrilled to be granted a scholarship. James is going to be an engineer.

How VisionZambia’s Education Fund Works

VisionZambia is supporting young people, like James, to access secondary education and the opportunity to create a brighter future for themselves and their families. Scholarships are offered only to vulnerable pupils who are struggling to pay their school fees for economic or family reasons. These pupils are identified by staff and their stories are verified by a Trustee from Vision Zambia. Scholarship recipients are reviewed annually to encourage pupils to continue working hard in school. A drastic drop in school grades without a valid reason, such as prolonged absence or illness, may lead to withdrawal of support and transfer of the funding to another pupil. All students on this programme are asked to complete a form to choose to be part of the scheme and commit to their choice.

Reporting to donors is based on the performance and achievements of all the scholarship pupils. Donors are not linked directly with individual students, but share in the successes and achievements of the whole group.

Thank you for supporting the children of Linda and donating to this amazing community.