Early Education in Zambia does not really exist.Little children are carried around on the Mother’s backs and they therefore lack stimulation and the opportunities to play significantly. Most mothers do not understand the importance of interacting and playing with their young children, as they themselves did not have this experience, neither do they have the time amidst the continual struggle for survival.
We believe passionately that Early Education lays the foundation for good learning and so we are working with the Mumbeji Community to develop a Nursery school which offers Early Years experiences to the village children. The community are committed to helping their children to learn. Together with the community we have built a Play Centre and equipped it.The Children are given the opportunity to play, learn and socailise together, sing and have fun.The parents are then free to work and earn money to support their families. Education is valued so much. We are now funding two young teachers to train in Early Years Education and to run the Play centre.
Sessions are currently happening daily with about 30-40 children attending each session.The emphasis is on play and learning through play. The joy and fun we could see with the the children when we visited, lifted our hearts. Smiles and laughter tell the story better than we can.