Lumwana West Basic School

Lumwana West Basic School offers education in grades 1–9 to the children from the village and surrounding area. A June 2007 survey from World Vision Zambia listed 650 students total at the basic school. With EBZEF support 301 students were female while 349 were male. In addition, the number of orphaned and vulnerable children (OVCs) at Lumwana West was 55 or 8 ½% of the student population.

The ratio of teachers to students is 1:150. The school has double streams for each grade, with two sessions each day (morning and afternoon). The education level for most people in the area is up to grade 9. However, many adults remain illiterate and cannot read, write, or speak in the national language, English (the native language is Lunda). Those few who can afford to pay boarding costs go to Mwinilunga Secondary School, Solwezi Secondary School, or Mukenge Girls’ School for grades 10–12.

EBZEF supports Beth’s Girls in grades 8 and 9, including tuition, books and supplies, personal hygiene and uniforms, plus tutoring and exam fees for grade 9. So far, any girl who is willing to work hard for an education can become a Beth’s Girl. The number of girls attending grades 8 and 9 has risen from 4 in 2002 to 75 in 2008. Several of the girls have dropped out to have babies, then returned to continue their education.

Mr. Mbongo Njolomba (Larry), Headmaster at Lumwana West Basic School, fully supports Beth’s Girls in their quest for education. Following his senior secondary school course with merits in English, mathematics, and religious studies, Larry completed a two–year primary teacher’s course. He taught for some time as a primary teacher, then took a diploma in education, majoring in mathematics.

He is currently pursuing a four–year degree course in Development Studies, a course that looks at issues of poverty, development, environment, globalization, world economics, political science, international aid, and other cross–cultural issues. Working with EBZEF has given him significant experience to support his course work. Larry is also a prolific writer, including short stories, novels, plays, and poetry. We are hoping to put some of his works in the new library as models for others to write their own stories.

Larry and his wife Catherine have three children, a son 5, and two daughters ages 11 and 14. They lost a third daughter to malaria at age 3. A dedicated educator, Larry’s prayers “for all my children are that they attain even better standards of education than I will do myself.” His daughter Kutemba (Clara) is in 9th grade at Mukinge Girls’ School. Larry’s dream is to see Lumwana West Basic become a secondary school so all children in the area can complete their high school education in the village without boarding costs.

It is difficult for rural schools to maintain a consistent teaching staff as salaries often are not paid, housing is not supplied by the government, and transportation and communication are not available. In 2007, Lumwana West had five trained teachers with only two on contract plus one untrained teacher. The unaccommodated teachers stayed in houses built for the health centre.

The entire village wants Lumwana West Basic School to become a secondary school so more children can complete their high school education in the village. To do so, they must have a library, a science lab, more classrooms, and more teachers’ houses. EBZEF is giving the memorial library/learning center to the village as a gift of literacy. Perhaps the new World Vision Zambia Area Development Program, the Lunga ADP now in the planning stages, will help EBZEF and the village to make this dream materialize.