The Time to Learn project will work in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training to institutionalize support for community schools throughout the country. This initiativewill enhance learning opportunities, increase school effectiveness, and mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on children’s education in Zambia. The initiative will also contribute to the ministry’s efforts to meet national goals and also the 2015 Education for All and Millennium Development Goals.

Run by local organizations, Zambian community schools have overcrowded classrooms and few resources. Community school students often have low levels of achievement when compared to students from government schools. Teachers are often unpaid volunteers who lack teaching credentials or formal training. This new initiative will train teachers, assist head teachers to better support colleagues and plan for school improvement, increase student access to textbooks and other learning resources, and help communities advocate more effectively for children in the greatest need.

Two partners, Forum for African Women Educationalists in Zambia (FAWEZA) and the Campaign for Female Education (Camfed), will provide 48,000 scholarships to girls and boys over the course of the program, enabling many of these youth to complete 12th grade by the end of the project. Scholarship recipients will receive psychosocial support and guidance and counseling, and they will also participate in HIV/AIDS prevention action clubs.

The small business partner EnCompass, LLC will provide opportunities to engage universities and other institutions in educational research related to community schools and orphaned and vulnerable children.