Earn It!
Education in Zambia is very different from what we know here in the United States. Students in Zambia are not offered a free secondary (above grade 7) education. Less than 27% of students who are of secondary school age are enrolled. Much of this comes down to finances.
LRPI has started the Earn It program to help teens earn credit towards going to school. In this program, students are able to work at the Enfys Foundation to earn credit toward their tuition, uniform cost, and other expenses that come along with schooling. In its first year (2011), 13 Earn It participants earned their 2011 educational costs. During 2012, 20 students participated and in 2013 there are 17 participants. Several of these students completed their high school education or a trade school and two participants are going to college. There has been great enthusiasm and many other students are hoping to gain entrance into the Earn It program in the future.
One of our first success stories occurred when one of our students used his credit to attend driving school. He passed and arrived in the village driving a car. While this seems common in many cultures this will give him a greater chance at formal employment as a taxi driver, minibus driver, or truck driver for one of the nearby mines.
It is our hope that by offering this opportunity, these kids will not only get an education but will also learn the biblical principal of work. "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." 2 Thessalonians 3:10b As time continues, they will be able to use the lessons and skills they have learned through the Earn It program and their education to become future leaders in their community.
As an added benefit to the Earn It program, the work of these teens is helping Enfys grow food for their feeding program, build a school, raise and sell chickens, and in general complete projects that are benefiting all of the orphans Enfys serves.
LRPI has started the Earn It program to help teens earn credit towards going to school. In this program, students are able to work at the Enfys Foundation to earn credit toward their tuition, uniform cost, and other expenses that come along with schooling. In its first year (2011), 13 Earn It participants earned their 2011 educational costs. During 2012, 20 students participated and in 2013 there are 17 participants. Several of these students completed their high school education or a trade school and two participants are going to college. There has been great enthusiasm and many other students are hoping to gain entrance into the Earn It program in the future.
One of our first success stories occurred when one of our students used his credit to attend driving school. He passed and arrived in the village driving a car. While this seems common in many cultures this will give him a greater chance at formal employment as a taxi driver, minibus driver, or truck driver for one of the nearby mines.
It is our hope that by offering this opportunity, these kids will not only get an education but will also learn the biblical principal of work. "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." 2 Thessalonians 3:10b As time continues, they will be able to use the lessons and skills they have learned through the Earn It program and their education to become future leaders in their community.
As an added benefit to the Earn It program, the work of these teens is helping Enfys grow food for their feeding program, build a school, raise and sell chickens, and in general complete projects that are benefiting all of the orphans Enfys serves.