Guardian For A Year - Lead Me Back Foundation

Unlike some privileged homes, back to school season for most Zambian families becomes a tradeoff between putting food on the table or buying their children new school uniform, bag, books and other school necessities. Unfortunately for most homes putting food on the table is more of a priority and many children are denied access to quality education. Martha is `an example of a child coming from such a home.

Martha is a short cheerful grade six pupil at Chabanyama Basic School. She was teased at for not having a school bag and carrying her three school books in a plastic carrier bag. At Martha’s school, Mondays are school assembly days and all the pupils line up with their bags in tote. In order to escape the embarrassment of such a situation, Martha always absconded class on Mondays and sat behind Chikola hills because the whole class would see her carrier bag. Her three books are barely enough to contain all seven of her subjects and her threadbare gym dress isn’t free from scrutiny from her peers. Martha’s grades haven’t been the best as she is always last in her class and this only dulls her enthusiasm for school.  

A book a term as a government initiative isn’t enough to silence Martha’s detractors. Martha is only one of the thousand children almost dropping out of school because of lack of proper school necessities. Education is the key to success, but who will find the door if it isn’t quality? As Lead Me Back Foundation we want to spearhead change in our communities by making sure children like Martha receive Quality Education starting 2022.

Lead Me Back Foundation is a registered non-govermentalorganization in Zambia with a vision to help implement Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 through 5 with much inclination to the fourth one “Quality Education.” Notably high levels of household poverty in Zambia threatens the attainment of the SDG 4.1 that aims to ensure that “All boys and girls can have access to equitable, free and quality primary and secondary education by the year 2030. Every child has a right to education; not just any education but Quality Education. Receiving quality education goes as far as having a uniform, sufficient stationaries such as books, pens, pencil, school bag and shoes constantly.

As Lead Me Back Foundation we believe quality education is not just about filling up classrooms, it is about pouring into minds and it starts with taking care of presumably minute details such as where children will secure their books on the way to and from school, the uniforms that they wear to the shoes that they put on their feet. Here in Zambia where most schools have a uniform policy, a simple school shirt may stand between a child’s day of learning in school and a day wasted. Our project aims to reach five hundred pupils in 2022 and many in the following years by providing these essentials through what we are calling the Bag-Pack.

VISION OF THE PROJECT

The Project vision is to help sponsor at least 500 vulnerable students in 2022 through the ​Bag Pack program. This will cost USD 35, 000. The project involves the following key players the Lead Me Back Guardian, the vulnerable student, the schools, parents and the organization. The LMB guardian will donate an annual fee of USD 70 and register with the organization to remain in contact with the organization and receive update on how their donations are impacting children’s lives through termly reports, pictures videos and an annual meeting with the child. A person is not limited to being guardian for one child, one can be a guardian to as many children as possible and neither is being a Guardian limited to location.

DONATIONS

However, for people who can’t afford USD 70 any donations are welcome and for people who would like to remain anonymous but wish to make donations to see this project come into existence you are welcome too as the organization is equally fundraising to be Guardians of 100 children in 2022. Anyone who makes a donation above $ 1000 automatically become a legacy donor. Our Legacy Donors are given the opportunity to speak at our annual Guardian for a Year Meeting and have reservation in the VIP section.

The Money paid by each LMB guardian will be used to purchase a Bag-Pack. Each Bag pack will contain the following 

• Full School Uniform  
• Assorted stationery 
• Miscellaneous payments 
• Shoes and Books     
 
CALL TO ACTION

Our project aims to reach 500 students in 2022 and many more beyond by providing some of the essentials that are often overlooked. If you believe every child like Martha has a right to quality education, JOIN US! If you think we can be the change we want with the little that we have, JOIN US! And if you think Martha needs an opportunity at school, JOIN US! Become a Guardian and put a child through school.