In June 2008 I went to Zambia to do research on HIV among poor teenagers for a book I am currently writing. When I arrived I struggled to get information from a distance so I and a cousin rented a house in a shanty compound a few miles away. Living in this area meant I could easily interact with the local youth and get the information I needed.

The house we rented cost 25,000 kwacha which is less than £4 per Month, it had no water, electricity and it lacked a number of basic necessities. It amazed me how just some 15 minute walk away people enjoyed the high life where they had everything and more, yet they never bothered to help out the poor neighbouring compound. I had been such a person, sometimes I walked past the mud houses with roofs covered with a variety of material (grass, plastic, metals sheets and asbestos), and the dirty children playing in the sand with  old, torn clothing. I imagined how difficult life must be for the people who lived there and I secretly felt sorry for them but didn’t do anything about it, until I moved in their compound. 

 After just a couple of days  I noticed  that there was a lot of children who did not go to School and spent their day playing and walking around aimlessly, and due to poverty some older children also turned to prostitution to be able to buy food and clothing. When I asked them why they didn’t go to school they told me that they had no one to support them but were willing to learn. Their Parents and Guardians were not educated but were eager for me to teach their children the basics; in fact some of the parents asked me to let their children hang around so that they can learn something.

Of particular interest were the little girls that came to play in my yard, I wondered why they left their yard to play in mine and tried to chase them away , but they still came back. So after a few weeks I started giving them lessons in Maths and English, which they attended with enthusiasm. The group was growing rapidly, after just a few weeks the place I was using as a Classroom was crowded and I had to turn some children away, which was very sad.

After six months I came back to the UK promising the children I will return very soon.  When I came back to England I tried to get some funding but a lot of organisations asked for a charity registration number, which I do not have.  To be registered as a charity in England one needs to raise £5000. I cannot do this alone, I need your help. Being registered as a charity will allow this project to take off and get financial support from a number of organisations.

Our goal is to raise enough money to build a Boarding School that will help children from very poor backgrounds to gain Primary School and Secondary School education without a fee. Having the children in a boarding school environment will allow them to focus on their education and get away from the lifestyle of poverty, ignorance  and prostitution . The children will be located at the boarding school during term time and will be allowed visit their families during School Holidays.

We have managed to get a piece of Farmland to use as a School but we do not have the required money to build the School, to buy Equipment and Educational Materials such as Books and Desks.

 Farm Land is in a very good location:

·         The land is fertile which will allow us to grow a lot of crops for the Market and also for food.

·         It is big enough for us to have Chicken Coups and to Rear animals such as Goats and Cows .

·         It is also very close to the Children’s Hospital should any of the children fall ill.

·         And its 30 minutes away from the local Town.

Please help us with the finance or the equipment we are so much in need of, in turn you will be helping Zambia’s poorest children achieve a brighter future. Your advice will also be appreciated, you can also help spreading the word.