Empowering Vulnerable Children with Education Project Concludes with Strong Impact and Sustainability Pathway
Lusaka District, Zambia – August 12, 2026 – World Vision Zambia, in partnership with the Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, Forum for African Women Educationalists of Zambia (FAWEZA), the Ministry of Education, and, with support from the Qatar Fund for Development, proudly announces the successful completion of the Empowering Vulnerable Children with Education (EVE) Project. Over three years, the EVE project has transformed the educational journey of thousands of vulnerable children in Namwala District by promoting retention, equity, and access to quality primary education.
Targeting 7,000 high-risk and most-at-risk learners across 37 schools, the EVE project directly addressed factors contributing to school dropouts, such as early marriage, poverty, child labour, long travel distances, and poor learning environments.
Project Achievements and Impact
Reached 10,193 learners (5,172 boys and 5,021 girls) in three years, with a survival rate of 98%.
Identified and re-enrolled 1,780 out-of-school children (OOSC) (972 boys and 808 girls)
960 bicycles and 3 wheelchairs were distributed to ease mobility challenges.
673 desks (493 single-seater and 180 double-seater desks) were provided to support the Presidential Pronouncement to eliminate children sitting on the floor.
37 SAFE Clubs established, providing life skills and psychosocial support to over 5,748 learners (2,544 boys and 3,204 girls), 4,868 parents (1,804 males and 3,064 females), and parents/caregivers trained in home-based learning
74 teachers (43 males and 31 females) trained in gender-responsive and inclusive teaching practices.
37 Stay-in-School Committees trained to monitor and support at-risk learners using a locally developed Student Risk Matrix.
17,888 course and supplementary reading book materials were distributed to improve classroom instruction and the habit of reading among learners.
As the project ends, its legacy is secured through strong sustainability mechanisms:
Community savings groups have been established and linked to financial service providers to continue supporting learners’ basic needs.
The Student Risk Matrix, an early warning tool to track dropout risk, has been institutionalised within schools and SISCs for continued use beyond project life.
Trained teachers, community volunteers, and parents are now empowered to continue monitoring, mentoring, and supporting vulnerable learners.
Collaboration with the Ministry of Education will continue to ensure that best practices and tools developed under EVE remain aligned with national education strategies and can be scaled up.
World Vision Zambia National Director, Marc Nosbach, said, World Vision Zambia and FAWEZA worked hand in hand with the Ministry of Education and EAA Foundation to design and implement a holistic approach to child retention in school.
“Through the EVE Project, we have seen that when communities are empowered and work hand in hand with schools and government, even the most vulnerable children can stay in school and succeed. This project is a shining example of how collaboration creates a lasting impact,” he said. “As we close this important chapter, we celebrate not an end but a new beginning for thousands of children whose paths to education and a brighter future have become clearer and more secure.”
The EVE project also engaged traditional leaders, school management teams, caregivers, and learners themselves to drive positive change and community ownership.
FAWEZA Executive Director,Costern Kanchele shared, “The Empowering Vulnerable Children with Education Project was not just about numbers, was about restoring hope, dignity, and opportunity for children, especially girls who were at risk of being left behind. We are proud to have championed a gender-responsive and community-led approach that will live on. We are hopeful that the community and schools’ structures created will continue implementing activities even beyond project life to sustain the gains made towards equalising education opportunities”
“The success of the EVE Project reminds us what is possible when commitment meets collaboration. Together with World Vision Zambia, FAWEZA, and the Ministry of Education, we have not only supported thousands of vulnerable children to remain in education, but we have helped build a path forward that communities are now equipped to sustain. From bicycles to safe spaces, from teacher training to community-led early warning systems, the sustainability built into this effort is as important as the numbers reached. It is a powerful example of what partnership can do to unlock potential and protect the right to education for every child,” said Dr Said Yasin, Executive Director of EAA Foundation’s Educate A Child programme.
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Mohamed Al-Amri
Senior Media Relations Specialist
msalih@eaa.org.qa
+974-5000-9960
Patience Rusare
Senior Media Specialist
parusare@eaa.org.qa
+974-5993-1560
Kambani Phiri
Communications Manager
World Vision Zambia
Mobile: +260 976289599
Email: kambani_phiri@wvi.org
About the Education Above All (EAA) Foundation
The Education Above All (EAA) Foundation is a global foundation established in 2012 by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. EAA Foundation aims to transform lives through education. We believe that education is the single most effective means of reducing poverty, creating peaceful and just societies, unlocking the full potential of every child and youth, and creating the right conditions to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Through our multi-sectoral approach, unique financing models, focus on innovation as a tool for social good, and partnerships, we aim to bring hope and real opportunities to the lives of impoverished and marginalised children. EAA Foundation comprises the following programmes: Educate A Child (EAC), Al Fakhoora, Reach Out To All (ROTA), Silatech, Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC), Innovation Development (ID), and the Together project.
About EAC:
Aiming to trigger significant breakthroughs and a material difference in the lives of children who have no access to primary education, Education Above All’s Educate A Child (EAC) programme, launched in 2012, has been helping millions of out-of-school children (OOSC) all over the world, through partnership and innovation, overcome the access and retention barriers blocking their path to education. Playing a catalytic role in the field of OOSC and quality primary education, EAC strives to achieve individual and social outcomes for these children, their communities and a more sustainable world for us all. Learn more at: https://www.educationaboveall.org/our-programmes/educate-a-child
About World Vision Zambia
World Vision began working in Zambia in 1981 with three community development projects in Northern Lusaka. Today, World Vision Zambia Limited (WVZL) works in over 50 districts across 9 provinces to serve vulnerable children and communities in the country. Through Area Programmes (AP) and grant projects, WVZL focuses on key areas of education, health, livelihood, water and sanitation, child protection and spiritual nurture. Children are at the heart of our work. With a workforce of over 500 professional staff and an annual budget of approximately US$40 million, WVZL works closely with communities, partners, and the Government of the Republic of Zambia to ensure vulnerable children live life in all of its fullness.
For more details about World Vision Zambia Limited, visit https://www.wvi.org/zambia