Although fees for primary education in Zambia were abolished in 2002, the cost of shoes, uniforms, books, pens and other equipment, plus administrative costs, can prevent poor children from being able to go to school. At secondary level, tuition and examination fees put school even further out of reach for children who are struggling to survive economically. To help them overcome this we are working in two key Zambian cities.

Kitwe - Primary & Secondary Education

We are currently supporting 7,595 children to go to primary and secondary school in and around the town of Kitwe (see map below), in the northern Copperbelt region of Zambia. We work in close partnership with an organisation called Hodi, which helps us identify children needing support, distribute the uniforms, shoes, books, pens, calculators and other materials they need, pay school and examination fees and follow their progress.

At primary school level, this adds up to about £30 per child for a year. At secondary school, school fees are charged and it costs about £60 for a year's education: still remarkably good value. The total cost of a child's education right through school is around £510.

Lusaka - Primary Education at Bwafwano Community School

Cecily's Fund supports a community school called Bwafwano (meaning 'helping one another'), just outside the capital Lusaka. Here, uniforms and fees are not required, but we pay for the salaries of the six teaching staff, the midday meal for all 756 pupils, and some educational supplies.

The community school teaches grades 1 to 4 and, due to high demand, is functioning at full capacity. As well as education, it provides the much needed meal - for many the only meal they will get all day. At Bwafwano everyone knows each other - like a huge, supportive family. Some of Bwafwano's dedicated teachers were orphans themselves and so understand exactly what they are experiencing.

When pupils finish at Bwafwano we help them to move on to government schools, and Bwafwano's Education Officer works with contact teachers in those schools to follow their progress.

Since the programme began, we have supported 1,100 children to move on from Bwafwano to secondary school.

The satellite version of the map below shows the Bwafwano Homebased Care Centre compound.

After school... what next?

Primary and Secondary education not only increases these childrens' chances of avoiding HIV, it also prepares them to try for further education and vocational training - such as teacher training and training as peer health educators.