Our Impact
Since 2011, we have worked alongside schools, young people, families and communities across Zambia, with a long-term focus on rural Sinazongwe District since 2015. Over 15 years, our work has contributed to 32% improvements in literacy in schools using our Happy Readers programme, a 40.4% reduction in missed school days among girls across six schools, and a 20% reduction in extreme poverty among 500 households through regenerative farming. We have also helped establish 14 school businesses, generating more than £30,000 in profit reinvested into schools, while supporting more than 3,000 girls and young people with menstrual health and SRHR education.
Our impact extends beyond individual programmes: we work with schools and communities to address the interconnected barriers to education, livelihoods and resilience. More than 9,000 children have benefited from our literacy work, over 3,100 children have gained vocational skills, and young people have led radio programmes reaching more than 120,000 people across Sinazongwe. Alongside schools, we have supported the development of ten boreholes, four girls’ changing blocks, two library and e-learning centres and 6 other sustainable school enterprises, helping communities build stronger foundations for children and young people's futures.
Our proudest achievements are:
Improving literacy and learning: More than 9,000 children have benefited from our literacy programmes, with schools using our Happy Readers programme achieving an average of 32% improvement in literacy with some schools seeing improvements beyond 60%.
Helping girls stay in school and return to education: Our girls’ education work has contributed to a 40.4% reduction in missed school days among girls across six schools, alongside improved access to menstrual health information, reusable menstrual products and safe spaces for girls. We directly helped 412 girls return to school through the Own your Destiny Project as well as 124 through the Inter-generational Girls Alliance Project (2021 - 2026).
Improving access to health and SRHR information: More than 4,000 girls and young people have received menstrual health and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) education. Our programmes have also contributed to a more than 140% increase in youth HIV testing across six targeted clinics.
Creating opportunities through vocational skills: More than 5,600 children and young people have gained practical vocational skills through training in areas including agriculture, tailoring, carpentry, IT and enterprise, giving young people greater opportunities to develop livelihoods and participate in their local economies.
Helping schools generate their own resources: We have supported the establishment of 14 school businesses, generating more than £30,000 in profit that has been reinvested into schools to support infrastructure, learning and day-to-day needs.
Strengthening schools and access to essential services: Alongside our education programmes, we have supported the development of 10 boreholes, four girls’ changing blocks and two library and e-learning centres, helping schools and communities address practical barriers to education and wellbeing.
Building resilience to poverty and climate change: Our regenerative farming work has contributed to a 20% reduction in extreme poverty among 500 households, while our wider climate resilience work is helping schools, families and young people develop more sustainable approaches to food production and livelihoods.
Putting young people at the centre of change: Young people have taken active roles as peer educators, Girls and Boys Council members and community communicators. Their youth-led radio programmes have reached more than 120,000 people across Sinazongwe, creating opportunities for young people to raise issues affecting their lives and engage their wider communities.
Percentage of children passing their grade 7 (end of Primary) exams at Siamucaala Primary School
“Girls should not be scared of their own bodies” Anita, 17.
I was a member of School Club Zambia’s Girl Council Programme and as a Girl Council member I encouraged my friends to attended the health workshops, even if they felt embarrassed. I started my period when my mother was away, but I was not scared as I had learnt what was happening to my body during the workshops. Many girls in our communities do not know why they bleed, so they miss school thinking there is something wrong. Other girls are told that they bleed and boys don’t because girls are dirty. This is wrong and we shouldn’t feel ashamed of our bodies."
Vocational education opportunities for rural youth
Hadge was one of our Young Farmers in 2018 and during the course of the year he learnt the practical and theoretical methods of organic farming as well as how to budget and market for a wide range of crops. Hadge decided to start his own organic garden at home and now sells tomatoes, eggplant and onions to his community. His teachers have been so impressed by his enthusiasm for gardening that they’ve promoted him to garden ambassador for the school so that he can share his knowledge and passion with everyone!
Looking Forward
Our 2026–2028 strategic plan has been shaped by the priorities and aspirations of the communities we work alongside. It builds on years of consultation with students, parents, teachers, community leaders and Local Education Authorities, as well as the experience gained through our long-term partnerships with schools in rural Zambia.
The priorities we heard were clear. Families want young people to leave school with practical skills and knowledge that can help them navigate an uncertain economy. Young people want better opportunities to learn, earn and participate in decisions that affect their lives. Schools need stronger facilities, access to water and sanitation, and sustainable ways of generating resources for their own development. At the same time, drought, poverty and other pressures continue to create barriers to education, particularly for girls.
Our strategy responds through five connected areas of work: sustainable schools, vocational education, literacy, girls’ education and climate resilience. Across all five, our aim is to build on the strengths and knowledge already present within schools and communities, while addressing the practical and social barriers that prevent young people from learning, remaining in school and accessing opportunities.
The Climate Resilience Centre
At the heart of our strategy is the Climate Resilience Centre, being developed on SCZ-owned land outside Maamba. The Centre is designed as a practical hub where young people can learn, create and develop livelihoods while communities can explore approaches to building greater resilience to climate and economic pressures.
The Centre brings together vocational training, enterprise development, regenerative agriculture, IT and entrepreneurship, tailoring and weaving, food processing and environmental learning. Our tailoring programme is already underway in the Centre's first permanent building, with plans to expand training and production, including reusable menstrual products and period underwear.
Demonstration gardens will provide a space to learn about climate-smart and regenerative agriculture, including growing food, saving seed and making better use of water and natural resources. The Centre will also provide opportunities to develop and process locally available crops and products, creating potential income for young people and supporting the Centre's longer-term sustainability.
We are developing the Centre with financial sustainability in mind. Over the next three years, our goal is for it to generate increasing levels of its own income through training, production, enterprise activities and partnerships. This will reduce reliance on short-term project funding while allowing us to continue investing in young people and schools. Our ambition is for the Centre to become a lasting local resource, reaching at least 500 young people each year through its activities and our wider vocational and enterprise programmes.
Growing carefully, where there is a need
We currently work with 11 partner schools in Sinazongwe District, building relationships over time rather than pursuing rapid expansion. Our next phase will also see us begin working in Chisamba District, initially through two pilot schools. This will allow us to learn from a new context, test how our approach can be adapted locally and build partnerships carefully before considering further expansion.
When we work with a new school, we take time to understand its existing strengths, priorities and challenges, and to listen to the teachers, students, parents and community leaders who know their context best.
Addressing the barriers to education
Improving education is about more than what happens inside the classroom. Our work continues to address the practical, economic and social barriers that can prevent children from attending school and completing their education.
For some young people, lack of transport is a significant barrier, which is why bicycles remain an important part of our work to help children travel safely and consistently to school. We also work with schools and communities to address issues affecting young people's health and wellbeing, including HIV prevention, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), menstrual health and access to accurate, age-appropriate information.
SRHR remains a core part of our work with girls and young people. Alongside providing information and practical support, we work with partner schools and communities to understand and address the root causes of child marriage and early pregnancy. These issues are closely connected to poverty, gender inequality, limited opportunities and social expectations, and can profoundly affect girls' education, health, safety and future opportunities.
Our approach is therefore not simply to tell young people about their rights, but to create spaces where they can ask questions, access reliable information, support one another and take part in finding solutions. Through Girls and Boys Councils, peer education, community engagement and partnerships with schools and local services, young people are active participants in this work.
Looking ahead
The challenges facing rural communities in Zambia remain significant. Drought, food insecurity, limited employment opportunities, poverty and gaps in education and infrastructure continue to affect young people's prospects. But our experience has also shown us the knowledge, creativity and determination that already exists within these communities.
Our next three years are therefore about building on those strengths: strengthening schools, developing practical skills, expanding opportunities for girls and young people, addressing the barriers that keep children from education, and developing a Climate Resilience Centre that can become a lasting local resource.
As we carefully extend our work into Chisamba, deepen our partnerships in Sinazongwe and develop the Centre, we remain committed to growing in ways that are locally rooted, financially sustainable and responsive to the priorities of the communities we work alongside.