Education is a human right, but the chance to attend and complete school is too often denied to children in Zambia.
Cecily’s Fund works to ensure that as many children as possible get the schooling they deserve - a challenge we approach in a number of ways.
Over 60% of Zambians live in extreme poverty, and many families are unable to afford the fees charged for secondary school or the resources needed to keep a child in school. With our partners, Cecily’s Fund identifies the children in most need and helps to support the costs of keeping them in school with uniforms, books and shoes. We also share our knowledge and know-how with schools around capacity building and management to help them help more children.
A key goal is to help communities become self-sufficient, we put in place interventions to assist them with generating their own income to help them escape poverty. These include supporting community savings groups, and training in essential business and financial literary skills.
The risks of dropping out of school are most severe for girls. It is common for early pregnancy or marriage to bring an end to a girl’s education. Cecily’s Fund helps to counter this by making sure families are aware of the long-term value of education, to encourage them not to seek early marriage for girls.
Peer Health Education plays a vital role in helping girls develop the knowledge and psychosocial skills to stay on and complete education. The sessions empower girls to delay pregnancy and marriage until adulthood, and youth Peer Educators themselves are key role models who show children how education is the route to a better life.
Our work is funded through grants and donations which enables us to ensure continuity in how we work and for those we work with on the ground, our partners in Zambia. Your donation will support a whole community as they work to create positive outcomes for a nation of orphaned youth.