Zambia is 28 times larger than Belgium, has slightly more inhabitants, but has a very young population. 47% of the population is younger than 15. That puts great pressure on education. Sometimes there are up to 80 children in one classroom.
Because private and state schools are too full, too expensive or too far away, parents set up neighbourhood schools themselves. About 20 per cent of all children go to such a community school.
Teachers teach as volunteers. When the school cashbox permits, they receive a small fee. And sometimes parents give them a bag of corn or some vegetables. Yet they guide their students through the national exams.
Agness, director and teacher at the Twalubuka Community School, explains in the video below how her village founded a community school after a violent storm destroyed her school building: "No classroom? No pay? Well, we want to teach. Anyway."
In the fall of 2016, Klasse went to Zambia together with VVOB. Journalists Mieke Santermans, Robin De Vries and photographer Jens Mollenvanger visited various community schools and got to know remarkable people. They shared their experiences in the following video.
