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Some of our community partners from the District Health Board in Livingstone were in attendance.

Livingstone’s Mahati Maghandi Health Centre chairperson, Catherine Njamba, commended the project run by African Impact Foundation during the graduation ceremony and highlighted the importance of including men in matters of reproductive health. 

It has been a fulfilling year for the foundation in terms of Youth empowerment. We  championed the rights of youths in Livingstone, to access education and life skills, through youth peer to peer community education.

In February 2022 we launched our Youth Insaka project in three schools around Livingstone. This project aims to connect young people to share challenges, discuss solutions and support each other.

Through this project, we reached about 120 individuals, navigating various topics that border on improving their lives.

By December 2022, the project expanded to three additional schools.

With 24 trained youth ambassadors, we are equipping over 300 young people with the necessary tools to make informed decisions regarding their wellbeing – enabling them to grow into confident young leaders.

In June 2022, we introduced to you Sheila Hamuchemba, who joined our Skills Development Internship, under the Youth Insaka project.

The time now has come to bid her farewell and good luck as she embarks on a new and exciting journey to University.

This is a bittersweet moment for the African Impact Foundation as Sheila  has made a phenomenal contribution throughout her internship. Sheila is a great inspiration to many young people in the program.

It’s been so heart-warming and heartbreaking all at the same time!

What hit me, even more, was the determination and drive of many young people I met to overcome these challenges, especially students on sponsorship programmes. Girls truly want a good education, to build confidence, and to avoid pregnancy so they can become young women with more choices and dreams for their future. The boys I met are driven to finish grade 12, explore career options and learn how to navigate the many challenges that come their way, including substance abuse.

It’s been so heart-warming and heartbreaking all at the same time!

The addition of the LETS project to our Girl Impact project will drive the programme to implement a project that will entirely focus on sexual reproductive health rights within our focus communities and targeted groups, where we have already established partnerships.  The overview of the LETS program states that it is a revolutionary education initiative aimed at empowering families in crises worldwide by addressing the universal root cause of poverty and abuse, unplanned and unwanted children born into a household that cannot support them. This is already in line with what has already been implemented on the ground, and the addition of these LETS will be an added advantage to the individuals and the community.

Through the LETS curriculum, we will implement reproductive health and basic health and well-being training to empower women and girls to make more informed choices in these areas. The LETS initiative will introduce workshops solely devoted to sexual reproductive health within our focus communities and targeted groups where we already have partnerships in place.

I am convinced that by the end of this programme, I will be able to make more sound decisions on childbearing matters and pass the knowledge to my partner in order to better our living standards as a family.

We are going into our 6th week of LETS with our beneficiaries and there is already a positive impact on participants’ lives.  Participation numbers have risen steadily each passing week, from 6 participants in the first week to 19 participants in the 6th week. This is indicative of progress toward our Gender Equality program. The participants are eager to gain more understanding and information on reproductive health and the tools to prevent unplanned pregnancies.  

On 16th September 2022, Timothy Graduated with Merit and attained a Certificate in Basic Firefighting in Kabwe, Zambia. He is currently applying for internships in various organizations in order to gain work experience.

Despite the obstacles, Timothy maintained his perseverance and determination to further his education. 

Timothy, 25 years old, was mostly raised by his grandmother in Livingstone and has been on the African Impact Foundation Sponsor a Child program since Grade 6. Timothy has always been determined to perform well academically in order to have a better future and be able to support his family. After completing his Secondary education, Timothy was supported by the Foundation to study Power Electricals, a course offered at the Community Development Centre in Livingstone; however, due to Covid-19 challenges, he could not finish the program.  Despite the obstacles, Timothy maintained his perseverance and determination to further his education. 

Meet Sheila and Noah, former Sponsor child students that are part of our work experience initiative. In May, Sheila and Noah joined our team in Livingstone, Zambia, and began working on the Youth Insaka programme, working closely with our coordinators and learning all about how our projects are planned, implemented, and run.

Exposure to the world of work opens up more opportunities for young people, helps them build relationships with professionals outside their usual family networks, and it allows them to gain hands-on experience. We developed the work experience initiative to provide opportunities to young people in Livingstone, Zambia. Through our work experience initiative, we are offering Sponsor a Child students who have completed grade 12 a chance to gain work experience.  Students participating in this initiative will gain exposure to the different areas of a non-profit organization by working closely with the African Impact Foundation team in Livingstone.

STORY OF SHEILA

Hardworking, determined,  and ambitious. Sheila Hamuchemba is 18 years old and lives with her parents and 4 siblings. She has been under the ‘Sponsor a Child programme’ from grade 1 to 12 and completed school in 2021. She passed grade 12 with flying colours which made her very happy because she made her parents and sponsor proud. A month after completing grade 12 she was called by the African Impact Foundation to facilitate on Youth Insaka programme.

STORY OF NOAH

Young and vibrant, with the determination to achieve his dreams, 21-year-old Noah Kalipi has proven to be a hard-working young man who is ready to learn new life skills and break the cycle of poverty in his community. He believes in the value of education as a stepping stone to success.

Noah has been on the Sponsor a Child programme since he was in grade 10 in 2018. Coming from a family of 8 children, Noah lost his father in the year 2017 which left his widowed mother with the challenge of paying for his education until 2018 when he got on the programme.

He completed high school in 2020 with good results and applied at Eden University under Clinical Medicine.  In May 2022, Noah was wholeheartedly accepted to join the work experience placement programme with the foundation as he waited to start studying at university. He was placed under the Youth Insaka programme where he helped with the facilitation of Youth-led discussions in which young people learn about issues related to Education, Health, Wellness, and Gender Equality.

Zambia is a landlocked country located in the southern part of Africa and one of the developing countries where poverty, education, unemployment, and diseases are still challenges. It’s blessed with beautiful natural resources and peaceful culture.

Zambia is among the most peaceful countries in Africa. The people are friendly and welcoming and has more than 70 ethnically diverse people with a cultural blend of values, norms, materials, and spiritual traditions. The most spoken languages are English, Tonga, Nyanja, Bemba, Lozi, and Luvale.

There is a special town in Zambia that we are going to look at. It’s one of the most visited places in Zambia because of the beauty and the interesting activities that it offers. Anyone who has been there has a special story to tell. Keep reading to learn more exciting stuff. Livingstone is located in the southern part of Zambia and named after the explorer Dr. David Livingstone. It is one of the biggest cities in Zambia, surrounded by nature and many attractions, especially for tourists.

Victoria Falls

Livingstone is the home of the mighty Victoria Falls and one of the seven wonders of the world. When you arrive, you’ll enjoy the spectacular view of the falls. You’ll surely want this to be part of your tour experience. You can fly over Victoria Falls in a helicopter for the best view or bungee jump from the Victoria Falls Bridge for a fun thrill.

Above the Falls lies the Zambezi River which offers a stunning view of the sunset and wildlife. The river is calm and perfect for refreshing and relaxing. Hop on a Zambezi boat cruise to explore the river, see a variety of animals such as elephants, giraffes, and hippos, and watch the beautiful sunset.

Visit the Local Community

Get the chance to visit a local village and learn about Zambian culture and lifestyle. You’ll gain insight into the local way of life by participating in their daily routines. Participate in enjoyable activities with children from a community school, such as dancing, singing, and playing. For visitors who wish to understand more about the local culture, this is a great chance. You’ll also have the opportunity to tour local community projects and orphanages

I completed a 6-month NGO Management internship with the Foundation from June to November 2021. I was really lucky to travel a lot within this time- my first three months were split with a month each in Cape Town, Kruger and Livingstone in Zambia, before I flew back to Cape Town for the last three months. I met a lot of new people, saw a range of projects on the ground, was responsible for a bunch of different tasks, had an insane amount of adventures, and learnt so much about career options, Southern Africa and the Foundation. To say it was a hectic 6 months is an understatement!

I had wanted to do an internship in which I could learn about all the different roles within an organisation to help me figure out which direction I want to go in the future. As I was hopping around to all the locations where the foundation had projects at the time, I was lucky enough to spend some time with everyone in the AIF team. This was super useful to me as I got to experience the responsibilities of each member of staff and learn how everyone works together.

” I mainly worked with the head office but also had the chance to get involved in on-the-ground projects too.”

I completed a lot of different tasks for the foundation, from researching and writing documents on topics such as streamlining communications and microfinance to supporting the onboarding of a new CRM. I had admin tasks such as data management, grant applications, project development planning, project reporting as well as more creative tasks like social media content creation, and the really special opportunity to interview participants and write blogs about their stories (which you should check out if you haven’t already!). I mainly worked with the head office but also had the chance to get involved in on-the-ground projects too. As I spent a decent chunk of time working with the foundation, the team was able to give me more responsibility in my tasks which I am really grateful for!

Today, December 10, marks the end of this year’s international campaign against gender-based violence. 16 days of activism recognizes that one of the biggest obstacles to achieving gender equality is the daily violence girls and women are facing worldwide. According to UN Women, 46% of Zambian women will experience physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence during their lifetime. However, gender-based violence can also take emotional or financial expressions, none of which are usually highlighted.

The Girl Impact program functions on six pillars. When combined, they become a holistic strategy to fighting gender inequality. At the centre are the girls. Many are initially exposed as a teenager and enter a long and vicious cycle which is often perpetuated by poverty. An important first step to break that cycle is to support girls’ education. Additionally, classes are held to discuss various topics related to their health, such as the issue of early pregnancy. However, sessions also target self-confidence to teach the girls the skill of speaking up for themselves and others.

“By raising awareness about inequalities and questioning gender stereotypes, boys become allies for the cause. “

Another beneficiary of the Girl Impact Program are the women’s groups. Oftentimes women in Zambia have little – if any – resources of their own, financially or socially. Therefore, a heavy focus is on creating income generating opportunities for women. Along the way, sessions also tackle many of the social issues facing their local communities. As a result, the women become resilient leaders, which allows them to be good role models for the girls around them.

The boys are the third and final beneficiary. As brothers, future husbands and fathers, it’s critical to involve them. By raising awareness about inequalities and questioning gender stereotypes, boys become allies for the cause. Through their decision-making, boys – as they grow into young men – can contribute to the safety of girls, both in public and private spaces.