Ask a Zambian child what they want and they will tell you: "I want to go to school." Education is the single most powerful tool to bring hope to the next generation. It reduces the number of displaced orphans and street children. It transforms young people into productive citizens: leaders in their families, churches, communities and nation.

The goal of the Zambian education system is that every child should have 9 years of good quality basic education, but over half a million children are not in school. Many church and community-based schools have been established for those who would otherwise be unable to obtain an education. The situation is particularly acute in secondary school, where fees have to be paid. Only about half of pupils go on to secondary education because many parents cannot afford the tuition fees and other costs, such as uniforms, shoes, exam fees and fees for practical subjects. Secondary School runs for 5 years from Grade 8 to 12.

Amos and Ketty Lwabila, a Zambian couple, started Kumbaya Ministries in 2004, running a primary school for over 300 children in Chaisa, a desperately poor shanty town in north Lusaka. The school used to meet in cramped rooms in a former tavern, but in 2010 a UK trust, working through Mission Direct, provided funds for the construction of a new school.

The new school, in the heart of the community, opened in January 2012 and pupil numbers soon increased to more than 500. As well as the school, Kumbaya runs a home-based care ministry with over 50 clients in nearby homes, providing practical help, food and prayer support. There is also a night school, with over 40 adult learners and tailoring class to teach important skills to local people.

In 2013, a piece of land adjacent to the school was purchased and since then, Mission Direct has built three more classrooms to cope with the increased demand for places from local families. With the challenge of supporting their pupils into secondary school, Kumbaya started their own secondary classes in 2017. With classes now up to Grade 11, there is again pressure on space with 11 grades plus a nursery class to fit into only 7 classrooms.

In 2020, Mission Direct had planned to build two classrooms, which would allow classes to continue up to top-secondary grade 12. When teams were cancelled due to the Covid situation in March 2020, work on the classrooms was brought to a safe state at foundation level. Although we are again unable to send teams in 2021, we want to complete the two classrooms at the school and are seeking to raise the £8,900 required.

In addition, we also want to help the Kiine School, which we have worked with for a number of years, by supporting the building of a much needed toilet block. This will cost £8,500, giving us a total target of £17,400 that we need to raise to complete these projects.

This has included a small contingency allowing for price rises for materials and changes to exchange rates. If at the end of the project there is any surplus it will be allocated to our general project development fund. Gift Aid payments will be used to fund Mission Direct's general operational and administrative costs.