Inclusive Education in Zambia
Leonard Cheshire Foundation (Isle of Man) Limited
Status: Currently seeking funding
Leonard Cheshire Disability works with partner organisations in over 50 countries. Together we support 250 independently managed disability organisations that support people with disabilities in their efforts to secure education, livelihoods, health care and a voice in their society. We also campaign to change attitudes and improve services.
The Project: Inclusive Education in Zambia
The project will contribute to the achievement of universal primary education in Zambia. The project aims to facilitate and encourage access for 100 disabled children into mainstream education. The project will include improvements to the physical access (ramps, pathways, accessible toilets and water sources, classrooms and grounds) of Chongwe Basic School and Chitemalesa Basic School. Along with these adaptions the project will introduce inclusive teaching methods. Teachers from both schools will be trained so they have the necessary skills to teach a diverse classroom that includes children with disabilities.
The project will adopt a holistic approach, ensuring that school administrators, parents, community members and volunteers are targeted in an awareness-raising program which will challenge negative attitudes towards disability. It is hoped that the success of the project will show policy makers, the community and other schools in the area what can be achieved using simple methods such as training teachers and making adaptions to schools' physical environment. This will allow the community to take the lead in making inclusion of children with disabilites a reality through direct engagement.
Need: The marginalization of disabled people and their lack of access to mainstream education and ultimately employment, perpetuates the cycle of poverty. Traditionally, the Zambian society believes that disability is a result of some misfortune in the family brought about by ancestor's witchcraft. This belief has led to the stigmatization of people with disabilities. As a result, some families have resorted to hiding their disabled family members or casting them out of the society.
People with disabilities are considered incapable of becoming active members of society, thus they are denied opportunities to engage in meaningful programs. This proposal aims to use education as one of the first steps in empowering people with disabilities. The overall objective of this action is to support the inclusion of children with disabilities in schools in Chongwe, Zambia by promoting their human rights, enhancing their social inclusion and increasing their oportunities in future life, thereby contributing to alleviation of poverty.
Sustainability: The training, awareness-raising and capacity building element of the project has in-built sustainability beyond the life of the project. Leonard Cheshire Disability Southern African Office is implementing a regional programme that has established networking relationships with a varity of partners and disability stakeholders, these will be invaluable. Concrete achievements in changing practices towards universal primary education will clearly sustain beyond the project. Direct engagement of beneficiaries in programme design and implementation will generate community ownership and networks and alliances developed will last.
The cost-effective nature of the initative means it will be relatively cheap to extend and replicate the model of inclusive education that is developed.
Project Outcomes: 2 schools will be adapted to provide a model of how to make schools accessible; 20 teachers will be trained on inclusive education; at least 100 children with disabilities will enrol and participate in primary education; a multi-stakeholders coordination mechanism will be put in place to encourage the committment of various existing resources to inclusive education; community attitude towards disability will change and promote an inclusive society that recognises the rights and potential of children with disabilities.
For further information relating to the project administration / to learn more / to make a donation please contact Michelle on 679030 or visit our computer drop in centre in Onchan.