Changed Lives: Mukelabai

Mukelabai lives in Muchekwa, a rural village in southern Zambia’s Sinazongwe District, on the shore of Lake Kariba.

In Muchekwa, there are few opportunities for formal employment and most people rely on
fishing and agriculture to support their families. The majority live on less than $1.25 a day.

Girls especially struggle to complete their education. They are often removed from school to help with farming or married off young to reduce financial burdens. Mukelabai's parents couldn't afford her school materials, so she dropped out in her first year of secondary school. Early marriage seemed like a better option.

“After I dropped out of school, I got pregnant and decided to get married. At first, it felt good. I told my family I didn’t want to go back to school. But things became tough when my husband started mistreating me. Eventually, I took my children to my parents’ house, and my marriage ended. At my parents’, I started gardening, but I didn’t know how and kept thinking I needed to go back to school. Things were hard, and I realised the importance of education.”

At a community meeting, Mukelabai heard about Egmont Partner The School Club Zambia (TSCZ). TSCZ works to improve educational quality, reduce youth unemployment, and remove barriers preventing girls from completing their education. Their two-year Core Project with Egmont focuses on supporting 50 out-of-school girls and 50 out-of-school boys to return to education.

“I heard that The School Club Zambia was about to run a project at my local school and it gave me hope. I registered and was selected. My parents supported me by looking after my children while I went to school.”

As part of the project, each girl participates in literacy and education lessons, vocational training in IT, agriculture, entrepreneurship, and sexual health education. This builds valuable skills for future employment. Each girl also receives a small grant to start a family business, creating a support base to handle long-term schooling costs.

Mukelabai embraced this chance to change her future:

“Through vocational training, I learned about agriculture and strengthened my gardening skills. It was my first time using a computer. We also learned business development and received start-up capital. I started a fish-selling business with my mother. The money helps me buy school supplies and support my children.”