From Learning Under a Tree to Learning Without Limits

By Christabel Mundike, Communications Officer, Zambia

For years, Mphande Primary School in Chipapa Community stood as a symbol of the challenges facing rural schools across Zambia. Overcrowded classrooms forced learners outdoors under trees, teachers worked under difficult conditions, and limited access to technology left pupils to wonder what digital learning looked like. Today, that story has changed, and a new chapter of opportunity has opened for nearly 500 children.

Through a partnership between CFAO Mobility Zambia, Paratus Zambia and World Vision Zambia, working alongside the Ministry of Education, Mphande Primary School has officially received education infrastructure worth approximately K4.19 million (USD232,500). The investment includes two 1x3 classroom blocks, one refurbished classroom block, two teachers' houses, an ablution block, 25 computers and a one-year paid-up internet package, giving children a safer, more inclusive and technology-enabled place to learn and grow.

The handover marks another milestone in the decade-long partnership between World Vision Zambia and CFAO Mobility, which has supported communities nationwide through investments in education, water, sanitation and child well-being. For this project, World Vision Zambia identified Mphande Primary School as a priority and supervised construction from start to finish, ensuring the infrastructure answered the school's most urgent needs.

Speaking during the handover ceremony, World Vision Zambia National Director, Marc Nosbach, said every child deserves a learning environment built for success.

"Education builds the foundation on which every child shapes a future. Today's handover at Mphande Primary School reflects our continued commitment to working alongside partners and the government to close the gaps children face in accessing quality education. A safe classroom, a home for a teacher and proper sanitation together form the foundation a child needs to learn and grow."

Representing the Ministry of Education, Director of Primary Education Felix Ngoma welcomed the investment, calling for more partnerships of this kind to strengthen education across the country.

"There is a particular kind of joy that comes with being invited to a ceremony like this, because of what this moment means for a child who will sit inside these classrooms every school day. What World Vision Zambia has demonstrated here in Chipapa is exactly the kind of partnership the Ministry of Education wants to deepen across the country. The infrastructure handed over today is a lifeline for the children of Chipapa and the communities we serve."

CFAO Mobility Zambia Chief Executive Officer, Dino Bianchi, said the investment reflects the company's belief in education as one of the strongest drivers of sustainable development.

"As CFAO, we firmly believe education is a key driver of individual growth and sustainable societal development. These initiatives represent a significant step forward in addressing longstanding challenges in rural education, including limited teaching resources and shortages of specialised teachers. On-site teacher accommodation will improve teacher retention and reduce fatigue."

He added that educating children helps reduce child marriages, strengthens communities, and builds a more prosperous future for Zambia.

The digital component of the project came to life through Paratus Zambia, which donated a one-year internet package using Starlink satellite connectivity, together with the school's new computer laboratory.

Paratus Zambia Country Manager, Neill Nortje, said reliable internet has become a basic requirement for quality education, not a luxury.

"Connectivity is no longer a convenience in education, it is a basic requirement. Mphande Primary School sits well beyond the reach of fibre or mobile broadband, making satellite the only realistic solution. We are proud to stand alongside CFAO Mobility and World Vision Zambia in giving the children of Mphande that opportunity."

For learners like 14-year-old Beatrice, the change is already visible in her daily life. She still remembers sitting beneath a tree for lessons, when classrooms were too few to hold every pupil.

"Sometimes we used to learn under a tree because there were not enough classrooms for all of us. When it was raining or hot, lessons would be disturbed and learning became difficult."

Now, Beatrice walks into a spacious classroom each morning, where she and her classmates have a safe place to focus and learn.

"When World Vision Zambia and CFAO came and built these classroom blocks and the ablution block, we became happy because now we have proper classrooms where we can concentrate and learn well."

The arrival of computers and internet has opened new horizons for her future.

"For Technology Studies, we only used to learn from books because we didn't have computers. Now we have computers and internet, and learning will be much better because we will be able to practise what we are taught. I know this will help us improve our performance and prepare us for the future."

For nearly 500 learners at Mphande Primary School, the handover represents far more than new buildings and equipment. It carries the promise of learning without interruption from overcrowding or harsh weather, improved sanitation that protects health and dignity, especially for girls, teacher accommodation that will help attract and keep qualified educators, and digital tools that connect rural learners to a world of opportunity beyond their community.

Mphande Primary School stands today as proof of what becomes possible when government, the private sector and communities choose to work together for children. For Beatrice and her classmates, the days of learning under a tree are behind them; ahead lies a future shaped by safe classrooms, connected learning, and renewed hope.