The community of Lumwana West in the Northwestern Province of Zambia needs a secondary school. Together with its international partners, it is seeking funding assis-tance to transform the lives and future of their children and their community.

The families of Lumwana West are among the 67 percent of the Zambian population living in extreme poverty (less than $1/day). The only opportunity for their children to complete

a secondary school education is at a boarding school 54 miles (86.9 km) away in Mwinilunga. Tuition with boarding, school supplies, uniforms, and exam fees brings the annual average cost for secondary school to $407, more than most families’ total income in a year. Within a 25-mile (40.2-km) radius of the Lumwana West community, there are currently 5,233 regis-tered students in grades 1 through 9 in 16 primary schools. Due to their isolation and the poor quality of educational resources available to these children, the vast majority will not receive an education beyond grade 7, the highest grade for a free education.

To complete construction of a secondary school in their own community that generations of chil-dren could attend can be accomplished for under $1.8 million.

Lumwana West is 500 unpaved road miles (804.7 km) from Lusaka, the capital of Zambia; 120 unpaved road miles (193.1 km) from Solwezi, the capital of the Northwestern Prov-ince; and 54 unpaved road miles (86.9 km) from Mwinilun-ga, the district capital and location of the secondary school boarding facilities. Most families subsist on small-scale farming, growing staple foods like maize, cassava, beans, and cabbage, as well as their famous pineapples.

THE NEED

THE COMMUNITY

PROPOSAL FOR A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN LUMWANA WEST NORTHWESTERN ZAMBIA

A partnership between: The Lumwana West Community, The Elizabeth Bowers Zambia Education Fund, World Vision Zambia, The Zambia Ministry of Education, Engineers Without Borders

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Mbongo (Larry) Njolomba, Lumwana West Basic School Headmaster, is a man on a mission. He has tried every avenue to develop commitment to build a secondary school in Lumwana West, advocating with the local chief, the Ministry of Education (MOE), local politicians, a lo-cal mining company, and partners like the Elizabeth Bowers Zambia Education Fund (EBZEF) and Engineers Without Borders (EWB). In Lumwana West, he worked with EBZEF to get a library built and furnished, including shelves, furniture, 20,000 books, computers and solar

panels; to start a preschool; and to conduct life skills training for women in the village. He is working with EWB to construct a math/science lab.

The MOE has recently restructured the national school system: Basic School is now preschool-grade 7; Secondary School is grades 8-12. Larry was recently appointed Headmaster of the Sec-

ondary School, with a new Secondary School Deputy Headmaster and a Basic School Deputy Headmistress. He keeps the local PTA and Community Committee accountable and action oriented. He knows that there is no real future for the people of Lumwana West without a secondary school in their own community.

The relationship between EBZEF and Lumwana West was born of the tragic loss of Elizabeth “Beth” Bow-ers, who shared her compassionate spirit with the people of Lumwana West as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Beth died in a bicycle accident in 2002 during her service. Her family and EBZEF supporters transformed this tragedy into a scholarship opportunity for deserv-ing young women of Lumwana West to strive for bet-ter lives for themselves and their families.

CHANGE IS HAPPENING WITH LOCAL SUPPORT

INVOLVEMENT BY EBZEF

The Lumwana West Basic School was established in 1951 to accommodate children through grade 9. In 2013, there were over 680 students enrolled, with 10 simple classrooms, 160 desks, and 11 teachers. This means that, on average, there were 68 students in each classroom, and 62 students per teacher. There is no public electrical connection for the community, so there is no electricity at the school or to support students to study after dark.

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A library and a science lab are two prerequisites for having a secondary school. These two buildings are in place or underway, setting the stage for the final phase of investment. It is time to take the next steps toward a sustainably transformed community:

1. Construct and equip classrooms and teacher housing to support a secondary school, grades 8 to 12, to educate 1,110 students per year.

2. Construct and equip a computer lab.

1. Secondary School Construction $1,650,640 21 Classrooms (with built in desks/seats) $840,000 $40,000 ea15 Teachers’ Houses $630,000 $42,000 ea1 Office Block (3-room) $120,000 $40,000/roomOffice Furniture $14,400 Sanitation Facilities (latrines x 32) $10,240 $320 eaWater Facilities $12,000 Electrification (diesel generator; housing; installation) $24,000

2. Computer Lab Construction $63,000 Facility $48,000 25 Desk Top Computers $15,000 $600 eaInternet Connection tbd

Total $1,713,640 Note: Costs include 10% World Vision Zambia project management fee, 5% for travel, and 5% contingency.

When EBZEF was founded in 2002, there were only four girls from the community attend-ing grades 8 to 12. Since then, EBZEF has provided scholarships to over 315 individual girls in the Lumwana West area, allowing them to attend secondary school and college, and open-ing new possibilities for women of the village. EBZEF provides scholarships for village girls, knowing that the opportunity can transform their lives, and their education can never be taken from them. As “Beth’s Girls” graduate from secondary school, complete college or trade school, and get good jobs, they become strong role models for other girls as well as finding ways to give back to their community.

WHAT WILL IT TAKE?

Estimated costs to complete this program include:

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Once funded, school construction is expected to require three years from design through equipment installation. All maintenance and operations costs, including teacher salaries, will then be assumed by the Zambia Ministry of Education.

1. Funding partner(s) identified2. Signed Memoranda of Understanding with the MOE3. Construction contractor selected4. School construction completed5. Secondary school gazetted in MOE system6. Secondary school fully staffed7. Computer lab networked

Benchmarks:“We are capable of doing anything; the power is in our hands. Remember that, when you educate a girl, you educate the whole world.”

—Beth’s Girl Justina Salumawu

There is only one practical solution for the children and the future of this community: to build their own secondary school. This investment represents the fulfillment of the basic human right to education for the children of the greater Lumwana West community for the foreseeable future. This generation of children can leap-frog decades of under-development and poverty, and receive a contemporary quality education to improve their lives, their com-munity, and their country.

Primary partners to achieve the community’s goal have been identified and will be engaged to make this dream a reality:

Partner ContributionsEBZEF Project direction; fundraisingEWB Architectural design; electrical system design; water system; latrinesWorld Vision Project management; construction contractingLumwana West Land; labor; building materials (sand, stone); village-level managementMinistry of Education School gazetting; teachers and staff; school finance and management;

long-term operations and maintenanceYOU Funds; materials and supplies; in-kind services

Won’t you help now to transform the future for these children and their community? To help, please contact:

CONCLUSION

WON’T YOU HELP?

Linda Bowers, Executive Director Elizabeth Bowers Zambia Education Fund P.O. Box 294, Salem, OR USA 97308-0294 Email: lbowers@willamette.edu Telephone: (503) 585-4605 www.facebook.com/EBZEF

See more information on our website at www.ebzef.org/news/secondaryschool

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