A child reading in a classroom./PHOTO;illustration by AI
In Zambia, thousands of children and young people are still denied the chance to learn because of poverty, early marriage, child labour, and long distances to school.
To tackle these barriers, the Education Above All (EAA) Foundation is working with the Government of Zambia and partners, including VVOB and World Vision, to develop practical, long-term solutions.
Breaking barriers to learning
Through two flagship initiatives, the Digital School Project and the Empowering Vulnerable Children with Education (EVE) Project, the Foundation is addressing challenges such as overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, and poor school infrastructure.
The project’s focus is on both school-level support and household interventions.
Measures include building WASH facilities, supplying bicycles to improve mobility, distributing teaching and learning materials, and introducing digitally enabled hybrid learning models.
Families are supported through income-generating activities that reduce the financial pressures that often force children out of school.
Child-led safe clubs are also being introduced to promote life skills and strengthen protection.
Supporting children at risk
The EVE Project is working to enrol and keep 7,000 primary-aged children in school in Namwala District, one of Zambia’s most marginalised regions.
Delivered with World Vision Zambia and in collaboration with the Ministry of General Education and the Forum for African Women Educationalists of Zambia (FAWEZA), the project combines direct school support with action.
Central to the programme is an Early Warning System (EWS), which links schools with existing child protection structures.
This mechanism helps identify learners at risk of dropping out and mobilises responses.
Alongside this, the project provides bicycles, learning materials, psychosocial support, and WASH facilities, while also offering livelihood opportunities for caregivers.
“The EVE project tackles critical barriers such as poverty, displacement, and limited access to resources, ensuring every child has the opportunity to learn and thrive,” said Derek Langford, Senior Engagement Specialist at Education Above All Foundation.
“By addressing these challenges, we are helping to build stronger, more equitable futures for children and their communities.”
Harnessing digital tools
For adolescents, the Foundation is using digital innovation to create flexible pathways back into education.
The Digital School Project targets more than 3,500 learners aged 13–18 in Lusaka and Central Provinces, in response to the estimated 200,000 out-of-school adolescents in the country.
Implemented with VVOB and the Ministry of Education’s Directorate of Distance Education (DoDE), the project provides learners with tablets loaded with resources and accelerated learning support to prepare for Grade 7 national exams.
It also creates accredited routes for young people to either re-enter formal schooling or pursue vocational training.
“Zambia’s Digital School Project represents a transformative step in harnessing technology to expand access to education,” said Sarah Elizabeth Wragg, Head of Education Innovation at Education Above All Foundation.
“Equipping students and teachers with the tools that they need opens the door to a more inclusive and innovative future.”
Expanding impact
Since 2017, EAA Foundation has supported more than 180,000 out-of-school and at-risk children and young people in Zambia. Across Africa, the Foundation operates in 37 countries, reaching more than 9.1 million learners.
Globally, EAA Foundation programmes have enabled 18.5 million children and young people across 75 countries to access quality education and economic opportunities.
The experience in Zambia shows how national and community partnerships can make education more accessible to those most at risk of being left behind.
Education, Zambia, children, youth, access, equity, digital, schools, poverty, empowerment
About the Education Above All (EAA) Foundation
The Education Above All (EAA) Foundation is a global foundation established in 2012 by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser.
EAA Foundation aims to transform lives through education and employment opportunities.
Its core belief is that education is the single most effective means of reducing poverty, creating peaceful and just societies, unlocking the full potential of every child and youth, and creating the right conditions to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Through its multi-sectoral approach, financing models, focus on innovation as a tool for social good, and partnerships, it aims to bring hope and real opportunities to the lives of impoverished and marginalised children and youth.
EAA Foundation is comprised of the following programmes: Educate A Child (EAC), Al Fakhoora, Reach Out To All (ROTA), Silatech, Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC), Innovation Development (ID), and the Together project.
