Mwangaza Education Centers — Meheba Refugee Settlement

MWANGAZA EDUCATION CENTERS — MEHEBA REFUGEE SET…

add to watch list

Meheba Mwangaza Education Centers

Provides preschool and adult education classes to more than 100 refugees
add to watch list

Meheba Mwangaza Education Centers

Adult education class in the Mwangaza Education Center
add to watch list

Meheba Mwangaza Education Centers

Provides preschool and adult education classes to more than 100 refugees

Project Summary

Early childhood education in Block F of Meheba Refugee Settlement is practically nonexistent. With the nearest school over a two hour walk from this community, few of its children have had the opportunity to attend preschool, starting them off at an educational disadvantage very early in their lives. Because of these restrictions, the leaders of Block F have planned and proudly established the Mwangaza Education Centers, a network of services in the camp that will promote early learning through preschools and continued learning through adult education classes. As the name of the center, “Mwangaza” (“light”), suggests, this project represents hope and possibilities for a brighter future for these refugees.

Learn more about the project

What?

The impact of the Mwangaza Education Centers will be realized through the following activities:

* Prepare 150 of the children living in the surrounds of the Center for primary education annually
* Ensure at least 90% of the preschools’ graduates matriculate to local Basic Schools
* Eliminate the burden of childcare up to 5 hours a day for caretakers living in the community
* Ensure that both men and women are given the opportunity to learn to read and to write
* Increase the number of community members who can communicate in English
* Conduct daily exercises in basic literacy and arithmetic
* Lead lessons that develop play skills, communication and teamwork tools
* Host monthly Parent-Teacher Association meetings to involve families as volunteers and solicit feedback on student progress
* Teach adults both reading and writing skills as well as how to read, write and speak in English

Why?

The majority of children living in this remote area of Meheba Settlement have never had access to early childhood education. Preschool education offered through the Mwangaza Education Centers prepares children to succeed when graduates matriculate to Basic School. Lack of access to education and illiteracy are widespread problems among adults. Providing writing, reading and language education to adults in the community enables them to better communicate within their culturally diverse community and with people in their host-country, Zambia.

How?

Each of the Education Centers offer both preschool and adult literacy and language classes. Preschool classes provide access for all children in this large community to basic education in literacy and arithmetic. Regular Parent-Teacher Association meetings involve the families of students in their education. The Education Centers also provide literacy and English language classes for adults. The project is truly community-owned, as it was planned by the community and implemented by the community. The Coordinator and all of the instructors at the Mwangaza Education Centers are refugees.

The Centers are entitled Mwangaza, meaning "light" in Swahili, because the community believes the Centers enlighten the lives of all the refugees living in the surrounding area.

Hide extra project detail

Meheba Refugee Settlement is located on 700 square kilometers in the Northwestern Province of Zambia. At the peak of its population, Meheba Settlement provided refuge for 120,000 refugees. Today, it is home to over 13,000 refugees from the DR Congo, Angola, Rwanda, Burundi, and Sudan.

In violation of the United Nations’ Geneva Convention, Zambia does not allow refugees freedom of employment or movement. As a result, refugees found living outside camp grounds are imprisoned and deprived of access to legal representation.

However, conditions in the Meheeba settlement are also difficult. Although refugees are given land to cultivate, the potential income earned from their farming is curbed by improper tools, expensive fertilizer, and poor soil quality. In addition, the settlement's aid provisions have been used without a stable means of replacing them. With limited options and depleted resources, refugees have been marginalized and left in a largely hopeless situation.

One of the primary struggles that Meheba's refugees face is obtaining proper medical care. Areas of the settlement are left neglected because of their distance from clinics. In addition, limited educational opportunities compounds illnesses by leaving the population ignorant of preventive techniques and basic treatments. However, FORGE Health Service recognizes that Meheba Refugee Camp offers an opportunity to invest in individuals and is working to achieve change that will endure beyond the borders of the Meheba settlement.

Learn more about Meheba Refugee Settlement

History of Meheba Refugee Settlement

Meheba Refugee Settlement opened in 1971 to host refugees who fled Angola during the Angolan Revolution. In the 1990s, Meheba began receiving refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, and Burundi. Meheba was projected to close down after thousands of Angolan refugees voluntarily repatriated, but in 1998, the Angolan war restarted. Although nearly 64,000 Angolan refugees have been successfully repatriated, efforts to repatriate Rwandan refugees have proven unsuccessful.

Climate

Meheba is located in the temperate grasslands of northwestern Zambia. The dry season generally runs from May to November, and the rainy season generally runs from December to April.

Challenges facing Meheba Refugee Settlement

Education levels vary greatly. Most refugees living in Meheba have received some primary education, but very few can afford the high cost of secondary school. Classes are conducted in English, and schools are generally overcrowded and under-resourced. The Zambian Ministry of Education runs five elementary schools and one high school in Meheba. Many smaller communities within Meheba are too far from government-run primary schools for children to attend classes there. As a result, many children in Meheba do not attend school at all. Some organizations offer vocational and trade classes to teach practical skills.

Main Occupations

There are few employment opportunities in Meheeba and are limited to farming, small businesses, and limited agency jobs. Men are more widely employed than women and have usually received more schooling. Most women are married with children by their late teens.

Hide extra community detail

Community member details not available yet.

Direct Impact of Your Project

The Mwangaza Education Centers reach about 90 children each term through their two preschool locations. Situated in extremely remote sections of Meheba Refugee Settlement, these centers provide early childhood education for populations that often lack access to educational opportunities. This preschool education enables the children to achieve at higher levels once they enter primary school.

The Mwangaza Education Centers also run adult education classes, reaching about 15 adults each term. The adult classes on literacy and speaking skills, either in local languages or in English. Graduates of the adult education classes leave equipped with vital job skills.

Extended Impact on Your Partner Community

Indirectly, the Centers lift the burden of childcare from the children’s caretakers for much of the day and bring regular activity and educational opportunities to what is currently a community with low literacy levels and no access to early childhood education.