Education Project Descriptions

School Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Education (WASH) and Quality Education Project
Life of Project: May, 2009 to May, 2015
Partner: Development Aid People to People

Water and sanitation facilities in Zambia’s Northern Province schools are poor, with almost 25 percent having no water supply.  Many schools also lack adequate sanitation. The School Water, Sanitation, Hygiene (WASH) and Quality Education Project, is improving water and sanitation facilities in Zambian schools.  The project operates in over 800 schools in Zambia’s Northern Province, giving more than 100,000 learners access to water and sanitation facilities.  The project works with local communities who provide some of the materials and labor for the wells and latrines.  The WASH program also promotes water, sanitation and hygiene education by training teachers and peer educators to conduct hygiene awareness events, drama festivals and develop lesson plans that examine the key issues related to safe water and proper hygiene practices. 

Strengthening Educational Performance (STEP-Up) Zambia
Life of Project: January, 2012 to December, 2016
Partner: Chemonics

School management is vital to ensuring education quality and the acquisition of early grade reading skills.  The Strengthening Educational Performance Up (STEP-Up) project works with the Zambian Ministry of Education to improve education management and raise academic achievement in reading and math.  STEP-Up Zambia supports the Ministry by promoting well-informed policy and decision-making, bolstering community support for greater school accountability of student performance, engaging universities in policy research, and improving problem-solving and management at the provincial level.  STEP-Up Zambia will further strengthen basic education by reinforcing HIV workplace programs and assisting the Ministry to establish an HIV referral service.  

Schools Promoting Learning Achievement through Water Sanitation and Hygiene (SPLASH)
Life of Project: September, 2011 to August, 2016
Partner: FHI 360

Sanitation and hygiene are necessary to learning.  Without appropriate latrines, water sources, and hand-washing facilities, learners and teachers are more likely to be absent from school, spend less time on learning, and fall ill more frequently.  The Schools Promoting Learning Achievement through Water Sanitation and Hygiene program promotes safe water and improved sanitation facilities in schools in Zambia’s Eastern and Northwestern provinces.  This program benefits all children but has a particular impact on female students who are principally disadvantaged by a lack of water and sanitation facilities in schools.  The SPLASH program supports greater access, gender equity, and teacher retention in Zambian schools. Schools with safe water and improved sanitation facilities are conducive to learning and stimulate academic performance in foundational subjects such as reading and mathematics.

Time to Learn
Life of Project: February, 2012 to February, 2016
Partner: Education Development Center

Community Schools are a growing and integral part of the Zambian Education system.  These schools, often serving communities that have limited or no educational facilities, provide learning opportunities for orphans and vulnerable children who might not otherwise go to school.  The Time to Learn project works with the Zambian Ministry of Education to develop the quality of education for the more than 420,000 primary school children attending community schools. Time to Learn supports the Ministry in improving teachers’ skills, enhancing school management, and providing much needed educational resources.  Time to Learn also promotes a continuum of psycho-social educational support, including scholarships, to orphans and other vulnerable children transitioning from community schools to government funded schools. 

Read to Succeed
Life of Project: April, 2012 to April, 2017
Partner: Creative Associates

While access to education has improved in Zambia, student performance remains very low.  Improving student performance is a core challenge confronting Zambia’s education system.  The Read to Succeed Program is working with the Zambian Ministry of Education to enhance the quality of education and learner performance in five provinces across Zambia.  The program targets public schools and identifies obstacles that hinder student performance and impacts negatively on learning achievement.  Read to Succeed promotes evidence-based decision making through the use of assessment and school self-evaluation, improves learner support in reading and math, promotes results-driven and school-based teacher professional development, enhances leadership and management, and supports community participation.  Read to Succeed integrates initiatives designed to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on the education system. In support of the Ministry’s efforts, HIV/AIDS programming includes prevention interventions for teachers and students.