ZAM 09 - BRICK BY BRICK
Project Location
The project is carried out at the St. Daniel Comboni Social Development Centre (SDCSDC), located in a poor neighborhood, in an informal and overpopulated settlement on the outskirts of Lusaka (Zambia) called Makeni Villa. It is located south of the suburb of Kanyama, one of the poorest areas of the capital. The Comboni Missionary Sisters have been present in this area since 2016.
The St. Daniel Comboni Social Development Centre supports the holistic development of vulnerable children and youth through socio-educational programs, in synergy with the local community and other territorial and non-territorial organizations.
Project description
Visiting the families of children attending the Center reveals the challenges they face every day. Many children do not attend school because their families face serious financial difficulties. Despite the government's elimination of school fees, many families cannot even afford uniforms, books, and other school requirements. Furthermore, children are often rejected because government schools are overcrowded.
This project aims to build four new classrooms (6 m x 10 m) at the SDCSDC, large enough to accommodate 40 children per class, for a total of 160 children. The goal is to provide an education to those who cannot afford it because they were born into poverty. The Center already has three classrooms, but they are not enough to accommodate all the children; many come to us with hopes of learning to read and write.
We would like to take them up to the seventh grade, at the end of which they would take government-recognized exams. This is also a way to keep children safe, away from the dangers of the street and prevent them from joining criminal gangs or turning to drugs, alcohol, and prostitution. At the Center, we also welcome those who have never attended school, or who have attended for a year or two, and then dropped out due to family issues beyond their control. In this way, we restore their hope for a better future.
Objectives
- Increase the number of children attending school, improving their educational level.
- Keep boys off the streets and girls away from early marriage and prostitution.
- Improve the center's infrastructure.
Beneficiaries
Direct: 160 children will have the opportunity to learn to read and write and take their seventh-grade exams; and four new teachers will be given the opportunity to work and receive a monthly salary.
Indirect: Families and society
Referent sisters of the project: sr Enza Carini e sr Patrizia Di Clemente
Project's costs