Recently, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank published reports on the rippling effects of the economic crisis throughout the developing world. To find these reports online go to: Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on Sub-Saharan Africa, IMF, 2009; or Swimming Against the Tide: How Developing Countries are Coping with the Global Crisis, World Bank, 2009.

Lack of aid funding and falling demand in advanced economies threatens years of progress in the developing world. In Zambia, we see layoffs across industry sectors. In most cases, these workers have no alternative source of income and no other marketable skills. The only option is to move into rural areas and begin subsistence farming.

Households sacrifice nutrition, health and education in order to survive. Children who are taken out of school rarely return. These children go on to raise more uneducated children, and the cycle continues. I’ve spoken with parents who are horrified and ashamed that they have been forced to send their children to live with distant relatives or friends because they could not buy enough food to feed their families.

The rippling effects of this economic crisis prove now more than ever that we are all interconnected. We can no longer simply focus on our own wellbeing, but instead we must think communally, nationally, globally. If we don’t, we run the risk of emerging from this crisis not stronger, having learned from our mistakes - rather weaker, with greater distance between the industrialized world and the developing world.

As one of few education-focused NGOs in Zambia, KnowledgeBeat is deeply committed to ensuring that education continues to strengthen, and we do not fall behind on progress that has already been made. To learn about how you can help support our efforts, please contact info@knowledgebeat.org.

• The largest school surveyed, Itezhi Tezhi Basic, had 16 girls drop out in 2008 due to pregnancy. One girl was 12 years old.

• At the seven schools surveyed, we saw under 100 teachers serving 4,000 students.

• Grades 7 and 9 require exams in order to progress through the educational system. These exams lead to significant drop out rates, with very few students making it to grade 10. In 2007, 21% of grade 7 students progressed on to grade 8 and 10% of grade 9 students progressed on to grade 10. As our consultant noted, “This system forces students into a lifetime of semi-illiteracy and poverty.”

• Students from remote villages come to the town of Itezhi Tezhi where they rent small homes, live unsupervised and attend elementary school and high school. These students, especially the girls, are subject to abuse. Many girls prostitute themselves to make money for food and rent. There are over 300 students currently renting homes in Itezhi Tezhi.

• One school had two untrained teachers educating 323 students, a ratio of 1:161.

• From an infrastructure perspective, the district suffers. Four of the seven schools were constructed from mud and grass, three schools had no electricity and none of the schools had adequate furniture to suit student’s needs.

• Aside from KnowledgeBeat, the district doesn’t have any NGO’s working on education in the area.

During this particular trip, I was lucky to have company. Bay Area realtor and avid adventurer, Katy Dinner, traveled to Zambia for two weeks to volunteer for KnowledgeBeat and to explore rural Africa. During her first week in the village, Katy spearheaded a video project for KnowledgeBeat – gathering testimonials and success stories from the community, teachers and students.

The Zambian school system is divided into three terms beginning in January. Students go to school for three months and then have one month off, so there is no school in April, August and December. As January is the start of the new school year, I returned to Ngoma especially eager to find two pieces of information: 2009 enrollment numbers and test scores from 2008. Both numbers assist KnowledgeBeat in evaluating success thus far.

The 2009 enrollment numbers had increased by 50 students. With word of KnowledgeBeat’s success spreading, Ngoma now has students from urban areas as far as Lusaka. Test scores have also improved. While 2008 results continue to trickle in, it is clear that Ngoma is one the leading schools in the district.

I am returning to California to spend the holidays with my family. The route home always amazes me. Traveling from Lusaka to Johannesburg through London and on to Northern California leaves an indelible impression of our world. I leave Lusaka in the evening and travel over the African continent at night, guided by stars and bush fires. Red lines trace the earth 32,000 miles beneath my feet and I know I am gliding over what I find most beautiful and most evil in humanity – hope, kindness, development, natural beauty at it’s purest and simultaneously, war, starvation, corruption, rape, unnecessary poverty, death.

The man next to me on the flight from Johannesburg to London asks what brings an American woman of my age to South Africa and I give him the cliff notes version of KnowledgeBeat. It turns out he owns several farms in Zambia and together we reflect on the beauty of the Zambian land and people. He told me that he had given three of his workers one-dollar bills as a gift several months ago. Within a week he received thank you letters from each worker. Keep in mind that this is a place where pen and are hard to come by.

I land in London as the sun rises. I have three hours before my next flight and I find myself standing in the bathroom washing my hands and feeling warm water pour out of the faucet. Warm water. The bathrooms in the Lusaka airport don’t have toilet seats. They’ve all been stolen. This is the first warm water I’ve felt from a spout in months. I glance over and notice that someone abandoned a perfectly good pen on the counter. My mind paces back. I remember being followed by village children as I walked to my trash pit. They hung back, but I knew what they were doing. They waited for me to throw my trash into the ground and walk away before they jumped in and went through my garbage looking for food, paper, anything. I stand over the airport sink overwhelmed, as the warm water and the juxtaposition of these very different worlds sinks in.

My flight to the U.S. has just taken off. Africa is far away, out of sight. I am ascending into a bright morning sky, sunlight drenching a developed world beneath me, but something is different. I think to myself that there will never be a first world while there is still a third world. We cannot truly thrive when there are over 1 billion children worldwide living in poverty (every second child) and the number of children out of education exceeds 121 million (State of the World’s Children, UNICEF). I don’t have the answers, but I think for many, it begins with awareness. Action and change begin with dialogue so I urge you to talk about the world and the development that needs to take place, share what you know and ask about things you don’t. I promise that what follows will be of value.

Memory Mungenisa and Liness Nakanyika received scholarships for
secondary school as part of KnowledgeBeat’s Girls’ Advancement
Program. Ninth grade girls at Ngoma Basic School started the
application process earlier this year. Ngoma teachers, program
facilitators and KnowledgeBeat staff managed the review process and
selected both young women based on their history of academic
achievement, extracurricular involvement and their written application
essays.

I was honored to be a part of this process from beginning to end.
Each of the submitted applications broadened my perspective and
reminded me why we are here. Many of the applicants reflected on
challenges they had endured, some were orphaned, others experienced
abuse, while still others described such extreme poverty that they
were forced to repeat grade levels. Amidst these obstacles, the
applicants articulated unwavering commitment to their education and
their goals.

Below I’ve included personal entries from each of the two scholarship
recipients. I asked them to share a bit about their backgrounds as
well as their initial reactions to being announced as this year’s
winners. Their voices truly express the excitement of this milestone.

In their own words…

Liness Nakanyika
Secondary School Scholarship Recipient

My name is Liness Nakanyika and I am 15 years old. I was born October
28, 1993 at Kaisisi Mission in Lusaka. I am the first born in a
family of five, three brothers and one sister. I live with both of my
parents.

My father’s name is Ackim Kanyika. My father only reached grade
eleven but he did not complete secondary level of education. Luckily,
he was employed and e has been working for ZAWA for several years now.
The salary he earns is not enough to take care of our entire family.
My mother’s name is Ruth Nyimibi. My mother only reached grade seven
in school. She does everything she can to support our family. Both
of my parents did not complete school because they lost their own
parents.

Sometime ago I applied for a KnowledgeBeat scholarship and I have been
selected. I am very grateful that the organization has granted me and
Memory the scholarship. This makes me feel happy and it promotes high
learning spirits and encourages me to take part in all activities at
school.

My dream is to become a doctor so that I can treat people in my
community and promote good health habits. I am also planning to
attend University. This scholarship enables my dream of becoming a
doctor to come true.

I wish the KnowledgeBeat organization all of the best wishes and thank
you very much for your assistance in my education. I am really
grateful. Thank you.

Memory Mungenisa
Secondary School Scholarship Recipient

My name is Memory Mungenisa. I was born May 21st, 1992 in Lusaka.

My father’s name is Forggy Mungenisa and he works at ZAWA as a village
scout. My father’s tribe is Lozi. My mother’s name is Phaides
Shanyimba. She is a housewife and her tribe is Ila.

On behalf of my parent’s, I really appreciate and thank God for what
KnowledgeBeat has done for me by giving me a scholarship. I am so
delighted; I didn’t think I would be a recipient. Continuing
education is a challenge for me, but my prayer has been answered.

Now that I’ve been blessed, I am aiming to complete my education and
complete University. I want to achieve all of my goals, career,
financial and social. I also want to be a pillar for my parents and
the nation at large. Lastly, I would like God to continue blessing
and guiding KnowledgeBeat. May the organization continue the same
spirit. I am delighted. Best Wishes to KnowledgeBeat. Thank you.

On day two of the fieldtrip, the group accomplished the secondary goal
of civic-exposure by visiting Zambia’s capitol, Lusaka. Students had
the opportunity to visit the University, Parliament, and the final
resting place of recently deceased Zambian President, Levy Mwanawasa.

The 13 winning students and 2 teachers now have the responsibility to
share this new information with everyone back in Ngoma. The winners
were excited to return home as Ambassadors, who will educate their
families and friends with a wealth of knowledge.

Students presented a variety of team projects to the three judges from
the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Zambian Wildlife
Authority (ZAWA) and the Zambian Electrical Services Company (ZESCO).
As I mentioned, students were separated into three groups based on
their grade level. In the first group (grades 1-4) the winning
project designed an artistic poster detailing the lifecycle of a
butterfly. Winners from group two (grades 5-7) did a soil project in
which they planted seeds using pure water and polluted and water to
show the effects of soil pollution on plant life. The third group
(grades 8-9) did their presentation on the causes of water and soil
pollution and methods for purification.

In his opening speech, Mr. Hazemba, the District Education Board
Secretary who reports directly to the Ministry of Education,
communicated his confidence in KnowledgeBeat. He also spoke directly
to the students, teachers and Ngoma Community, explaining that because
of KnowledgeBeat’s presence in this community, everyone should feel
the responsibility to excel and to embrace new goals. He reiterated
this sentiment in his closing line, “I would say the sky is the
limit,” he said, looking directly at the students. “But today I see a
bright future without any limits.”

I was thrilled to hear Mr. Hazemba challenge the audience this way.
Many aid organizations fail to strike the right balance between
providing resources and stimulating a collaborative response from the
community. One of the primary ways that KnowledgeBeat differentiates
itself is by creating independence through support and community
collaboration as opposed to dependence on aid. Mr. Hazemba recognized
this strength in our model and challenged the audience to utilize
KnowledgeBeat resources but also to redefine their own goals.

All of the girls applied to visit various mentors and the selected
winners spent a day and night with their chosen mentors. An assembly
will take place on Monday, November 10th, during which the winners
will present highlights from their visits and all of the girls will
receive participation certificates.