We supported a project by Zambia Orphans Aid to provide new desks in Twavwane Community School in Kabanana, Zambia.
This UK-based charity works with community-based groups to help vulnerable children in Zambia access education by providing uniforms, books and tuition fees. It also funds nutritious school meals, helps school leavers gain vocational qualifications and provides reusable sanitary pads to keep girls in school.
Space to learn
Kabanana is a very poor area of northern Lusaka where 90% of adults are illiterate and living in extreme poverty. A high proportion of malnourished and HIV positive children attend the school. Due to rising poverty and enormous local need, Twavwane, which was built in 2012, has grown to more than 600 pupils and class sizes used to exceed 100. Teachers had to fit all the children from Grades 1 to 9 into four classrooms which made it difficult for them to adequately support everyone. This had a big impact on the students’ learning, and as a result many fell behind and dropped out due to poor grades.
The school had clearly outgrown its existing facilities, and ZOA received a grant from another foundation to build two new classrooms. Its goal was to improve the quality of education for the children by reducing class sizes to 45 children per class. Halcrow Foundation supported the project further by funding new desks and benches for the students, as well as six teachers’ desks and chairs and six blackboards. The desks were built by local craftspeople and they give pupils space to write and concentrate more easily in lessons. One pupil, Abram, aged 14, said, “Before we weren’t learning comfortably because there were a lot of pupils and not enough desks. Some had to sit on the floor. Now we have many desks and the classroom is big.”
Boosting exam results
By reducing class sizes the teachers are able to increase the amount of time spent with each child, improving their learning and boosting exam results. Over time this will allow the school to attract more fee paying students who contribute towards the school’s costs, increasing sustainability. The new desks also mean pupils have space to open books and write properly, and their concentration is greatly improved as they no longer struggle for space.
Photo credit: Zambia Orphans Aid
