Zambia Open Community Schools

We welcome you to our new website. The first thing that we would like you to know about us is that ZOCS started in 1992 as a community response to the need for the education of Orphans and Vulnerable Children with just 48 out-of-school girls being taught under a tree in Misisi compound in Lusaka. The organisation was registered as a Non-Governmental Organisation in 1995 under the registrar of societies in Zambia and has since grown spreading to 7 provinces in Zambia.

We recently developed a new Strategic Plan (2011 – 2015) representing our ambitions for the next five years. What is striking about the year 2015 is that it marks the end of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Education for All (EFA). The Ministry of Education (MoE) has taken tremendous steps to achieve these goals, especially by making notable investments in school infrastructure but many Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) are still left out. The high poverty levels, long distances to the nearest government school, user fees and compulsory school uniforms keep OVC from accessing basic education.

ZOCS has stepped forward to try and fill the ‘gap’ left by the mainstream education system in providing inclusive school places for all children in Zambia. ZOCS alone has provided education opportunities for over 40, 000 children and facilitated training to certificate level for over 400 teachers. ZOCS has also successfully influenced government policy on education which has resulted in the Ministry of Education providing ‘The Operational Guidelines for Community Schools’ in 2007 and contributing to the Education Bill 2011.

In the next five years ZOCS has plans to continue being a flagship NGO advocating for OVCs right to quality education and Government support to community schools.

The strategic plan 2011—2015 takes into account key Government of Zambia policy documents such as National Implementation Framework (NIF III), the Fifth National Development Plan (FNDP) and the Sixth National Development Plan (SNDP).

ZOCS therefore stands well positioned to further work towards contributing to the achievement of the MDG on Education and EFA goals by 2015.