I recently came across an awesome set of examples of how maps twist our perception of the world. I first learned about this on an episode of West Wing (you can see the awesome clip here) – it is really eye-opening how a simple display can change how you perceive of a country or continent.
Read MoreMenstruation is a big issue affecting many rural school girls that causes some students to drop out of school entirely. Every child has a right to education, but a lack of menstrual hygiene solutions is often a barrier for girls in rural communities.
Read MoreWhile it sometimes seems like COVID-19 was a long time ago, it’s been sobering to see math and literacy results over the last three years come in and see the staggering toll that it has taken on the world’s children. I recently read an interview dissecting some of these results with Salman Khan, the founder of Khan Academy.
Read MoreBeginning in 2022, Impact Network has been implementing a Special Day project each term. Each Special Day has a different theme which guides the activities to be done at all schools where we operate. The project provides teachers and learners with an opportunity to have a learning day full of fun and learner-centered activities drawn from the national syllabus for each particular term.
Read MoreBack in January, my daughter, Maya, came home grumbling that a kid in her kindergarten class had told her that girls don’t play sports. Maya is not typically persuaded by people – anyone that has spent five minutes with her knows that she has a fiery personality. But she sort of shrugged and seemed to be accepting of it – all despite having seen her own mother play sports (and get an ACL sprain during Thanksgiving football); despite having spent all of the Winter Olympics rooting for the girls’ hockey, skating, skiing, and snowboarding teams; despite seeing our very own NetGirls Zambia program which aims to bring the sport of netball to rural Zambian girls; despite even playing ice hockey herself!
Read MoreThe first term of the 2023 school year is flying by! With many of the students we serve in Petauke, Sinda, and Lusangazi reaching sixth and seventh grade this year, we have been especially busy with special projects related to Grade 7 programing! Since this is the last year of primary schooling, it includes exam registration, exam preparation programs for learners and training and support to ensure our teachers are confident teaching upper grade content.
Read MoreA few years ago, the New York Times started a section of their obituaries called “Overlooked No More”, which profiles minorities and women whose deaths were not covered by the paper. It was there that I learned about Doria Shafik, who was one of the most important – and unknown – figures in Egyptian history.
Read MoreI recently listened to this episode of a podcast called Radiolab and was mesmerized! It’s worth a listen to get a feel for the full story, but it highlights some awardees of the Golden Goose Award – an award to “recognize the tremendous human and economic benefits of [US] federally funded research by highlighting examples of seemingly obscure studies that have led to major breakthroughs and resulted in significant societal impact.” The awardees are a fascinating look at how studies into the mundane or unseen parts of our universe can have big impacts on human existence.
Read MoreEver wondered where the phrase “the real McCoy” comes from? I read an article recently about one of the possible origins of this phrase – origins that go much deeper than pop culture and movie references.
Read MoreWe are becoming Earth Warriors!
On Monday, our Grade 1 to Grade 4 students will have their first of a year-long series of lessons to learn about climate change and discover what they can do to protect our environment. This new climate change education project is possible through a partnership between Impact Network and Earth Warriors, who authored the curriculum. Our schools are joining with two schools in Lusaka and 10 schools across Botswana to pilot the lessons in 2023.
Read MoreThis week, one of my old favorite songs reminded me of the famed American middleweight boxer, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter*. The Hurricane was born in May of 1937, and was at the height of his career in 1966 when he was wrongfully convicted of a triple-murder and imprisoned for almost 20 years. He was exonerated in 1985, and became an activist for the wrongly convicted after his release.
Read MoreAlmost a decade ago, I met with the District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) in Katete at the time, Mr. Fully Tembo. I was new to the position, and the goal of the meeting was to come to an agreement about the operation of Impact Network’s schools in Katete District. While we had been working with Mr. Tembo for a while, it was the first formal agreement we were working towards. In that meeting, we shared Impact Network’s mission and goals, while also learning much more about the government’s priorities.
Read MoreFive years ago this year, the world lost Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, a South African anti-apartheid activist, and the former wife of Nelson Mandela. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is the lesser known of the Mandelas, of course. But some would argue that she was the more powerful, though not without controversy. She was born in what is now the Eastern Cape province, to two teachers. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in international relations, and married Nelson Mandela when she was in her early twenties. Five years after their marriage, he was arrested and jailed, where he remained for the next two and a half decades.
Read MoreAs we kick off the 2023 school year in Zambia, I’m excited to share that we are continuing to provide early childhood education to 400+ three to six year olds in the communities we serve! While developing this program, we examined play-based interventions that used self-directed activities, hands-on materials, and a supportive environment to bring out the best in our students.
Read MoreLast week, we held our annual teacher conference, in which we bring all our teaching and management staff together for a week of training prior to opening the school year. Just as we expect teachers to provide active lessons and hands-on activities when working with students, our management team strives to model those same approaches when planning the teacher conference. Our teacher training sessions are grounded in research regarding adult learning.
Read MoreThere is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.
Read MoreI hope that everyone had a safe and happy holiday and happy new year! I’m grateful to have each of you in our work to support rural students in Zambia achieve their potential. I hope you found some restoration and peace over the holiday season, and look forward to an amazing 2023!
Read MoreRespecting each child’s right to education and protection are core values of Impact Network. So as we reflect back on the year, we would like to highlight Caroline Chibale, one of our child protection warriors.
Read MoreAs this school year comes to a close in Zambia, I wanted to take a minute to highlight “Go Green Day” – a fun-filled day focused on environmental conservation, with a ton of hands-on projects. Part of this work is generously funded by the Addax & Oryx Foundation, who have helped us launch various environmental projects – including rainwater harvesting, tree planting, and upcycling activities. Our teachers and staff helped make this day come alive in so many creative ways and I wanted to highlight just a few of them today!
Read MoreOne of the key responsibilities of the operations team is to provide technical support to the program, such as safety and hygiene practices across Impact Network schools. We consider this to be a prerequisite towards achieving quality education because the lack of safe learning spaces and adequate hygiene facilities can translate to lower attendance and decreased educational achievement. That is why the operation team takes pride in ensuring safe learning spaces for our students to learn in.
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