Developing Our Community

Education plays a major role in developing both individuals and communities. What we often take for granted in our education system is vitally important to the wellbeing of children growing up in developing countries. Escaping generational poverty, freedom from child marriage and a knowledge of health issues indicate whether or not one has had the opportunity to gain a quality education.

Therefore Eagles Wings places a major emphasis on education, to enable the child and their family to have the opportunity to dream of and realise a better future.

Eagles Wings Christian Community School at Monkey Fountain is the largest sector of our Education Program, established after realising the need for quality Christian education within poverty stricken communities. Surrounded by three main communities - Kanyala, Bunga and Overspill - Eagles Wings specifically targets the poorest children, knowing they may never have the opportunity to attend school otherwise. Eagles Wings Christian Community School at Monkey Fountain is also a means of empowering our student’s extended families and is a major resource in developing the community as a whole.

Eagles Wings Christian Community School at Kanyala was the beginning of our Education Program and assists children whose families do not have the resources to send their children to any school. Our Christian Community School at Kanyala provides a basic education in literacy and numeracy for a grade one level group and preschool class. This school mirrors more traditional community schools within Zambia with larger enrolment numbers in each class, no uniforms, mixed ages and a less formal setting. Knowing that any education can contribute towards enhancing a child’s future prospects, we have improved this community school by employing a qualified teacher and providing many useful teaching and learning resources.  

Our Adult Education Program is aimed firstly at parents and guardians of children within our programs and secondly to community members, in the hope that the educational and financial capacity of homes and families may be developed. As the girl child has in the past, and continues to have limited opportunities to attend school, many women within our surrounding communities are illiterate. It is these women who now fill our adult classes, gaining literacy and numeracy skills before moving into small business studies and obtaining greater skills and knowledge to care for themselves and their families.

Government Sponsorship is available for disadvantaged children within our community who are beyond the grade levels catered for in Eagles Wings Christian Community School at Monkey Fountain. It is also used for children from our Family Program who have been reintegrated into existing family in communities some distance from Eagles Wings. Through this sponsorship, children who have not had the opportunity to receive an education due to death of parents, neglect or coming from extremely poor families have the opportunity to attend local government schools.

Our Further Education Program is a new program, established for young adults leaving school who have the ability to progress to further study or gain a life skill to assist them to find employment. The program runs on a loan basis, where participants learn responsible financial management by repaying their interest free loan. These funds then become available for new participants. Through this program, Eagles Wings is able to increase possibilities for education and employment for our students in a way which gives them ownership and responsibility for their future so they are not dependent on Eagles Wings.

OUR DREAM for the next five years:
Our dream is to have a community school with grades one to twelve which provides disadvantaged children and their parents with opportunities and facilities to gain a quality Christian education which will, in time, develop and improve their entire community. To achieve this we need to construct two more stages which will incorporate classrooms for grades seven to twelve and smaller rooms to facilitate such areas as a library and computer room.