Wisdom Community School in Zambia
ALARM is empowering the children of Mwenye (a village outside of Ndola) to provide education and hope to improve their opportunities for the future.
This school was opened in March 2007 to 45 students and one teacher. Mwenye is a very poor slum village where there are no schools. There are many widows, orphans and vulnerable children whose breadwinners have died from HIV/AIDS and other related diseases. Because of poverty, many of the children in this village do not go to school anywhere so they were involved in anti-social behaviors, which got them into trouble. Their parents are also involved in either making or drinking the local alcoholic drink. The village also has a high level of illiteracy, especially among women.
When the parents of these children saw that their children had started school, they felt they were left behind. So they asked ALARM to begin an Adult Literacy Class for them. In the initial class, 25 women came to learn to read and write. All are doing very well. When these women started none of them knew how to read and write. Today it is a different story!
Testimony of a parent
“My daughter had never been to school before attending the Wisdom Community School in Mwenye because I couldn’t afford the school fees. My family and I are thankful to God for what ALARM has done by providing a school for the education of our children. My daughter is able to pray in English now. She is also able to read and write. She is doing fine academically. She did very well in her final test. She was the second highest in class. I am proud of her!
Testimony of a woman attending the Adult Literacy Class
“Before I enrolled in the Adult Literacy Class, I didn’t know how to read or write. Today I am able to read and write. Because I am able to read, I am reading my Bible every day. Thanks to ALARM for helping me to gain this educational skill. I am empowered forever.
