“Sustainability is the key to the longevity of all projects; in the long run charity alone fails.”
Chellie Kew, Founder and CEO
Chimoza - a case study
When The Q Fund first partnered with Chimoza (from the Bemba word meaning “we are one”) in 2003, it was a one-room mosquito-infested building that served 47 street children who had no money to attend government schools
In 2009 over 500 students in grades K-9 receive a free education at Chimoza in thirteen new classrooms built by generous donations to The Q Fund.
The school is served by dedicated. skilled teachers lead by a qualified and eminent head teacher. It boasts a teacher pupil ration (1:30) that is the envy of the government schools (which have a 1:60 or even 1:90) ratio.
And most importantly, the community has fully embraced the initiative. The local families provide and bake food for the schoolchildren, they provide labor for construction and they insist that their children stay in school for the full day (from 7:30am to 4:30pm) to receive a good education!
We have improved the quality of life for many thousands of African and Asian children.
- Coming in 2010—Stay tuned for more details of 'Kindergarten in a kit', 'Walk in their shoes' and other innovative programs that will extend the reach of the work you have helped us start
- 2009—Chimoza community school : Finished construction of the 5th school block, giving us 13 classrooms, installed electricity to the entire campus, and built the new water tower. see integrated concept for school, grounds and community facilities.
Completed funding for Ngererit School in the Rift Valley, Kenya with our partner Robert Keter. Robert attended this school as a youngster, and vowed to come back one day and renovate “his” school. During the rainy season the noise of the roof was deafening, thousands of students had to listen to their daily studies, under trees. - 2008—Returned to Ndola, Zambia to complete our community school and begin sustainable industry.
- 2007—Chimoza, funded a day school in Botswana. Paid to put in a large bore-hole supplying clean fresh water to a community of 12 thousand students and their guardians.
- 2006—Ngererit School, Rift Valley, Kenya and Chimoza, Zambia.
- 2005 —Continued our work in Zambia while in Tanzania we helped purchase a model AIDS unit.
- 2004 —Montessori school in Ambalangoda, Sri Lanka.
- 2003 —Partnered with Chimoza Community School, Ndola, Zambia and Children Harvest Missionaries, implementing feeding programs and building churches throughout Africa.
- 2002—African Journal: A Child's Continent (self-published).
- 2001—Chibode Primary School in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
- 2000—Othandweni orphanage, Soweto, South Africa.
The Q Fund’s flagship project is the Chimoza Community School, which is situated near the old abandoned copper mines of Bwana Makuba and Old Regiment in the town of Ndola, Zambia. Zambia is a landlocked country in the south central part of Africa that is home to more than 70 ethnic groups who live and interact peacefully. Zambia's Copper Belt was the backbone of a thriving economy until the collapse of the world copper market in the 1970s. Sadly, this once thriving country has become one of the world's poorest nations.
Chimoza has become widely recognized and respected well beyond the six communities whose population it serves. Standardized test scores are consistently higher than those of neighboring government schools. And while a traditional curriculum is taught during the day, each evening the school opens its doors to the men and women of the community for free vocational classes in sewing, carpentry, cooking, and farming.