October 21, 2015
Zambia
Edna and Amos, primary school pupils, can already earn their own money by creating a business plan and preparing for their own business undertakings. A good entrepreneur should be innovative, hard-working, and have precision in bookkeeping. He or she should also be customer-oriented. Children from two primary schools in the Zambian region of Mayukwayukwa learned that and much more during entrepreneurship classes last week.
Edna Kekelwa, a 15-year-old girl and an eighth-grader of the primary school Lyamunale, participated in the class. According to her teachers, she is a great support for the school. She told Caritas Czech Republic why she finds the entrepreneurship course interesting.
“I live with my mother, who owns a grocery store. On the weekends, i.e. on Saturday and Sunday, I work there as well,” Edna said, while telling her story. “Apart from helping my mother, my other passion is teaching. In my free time, I teach other school pupils to read and to write. The kids range from first-classers to ninth-graders. I noticed that, no matter what grade they are in, some of them can’t read or write. I felt obliged to help them, especially when teaching is my hobby at the same time. Thanks to my talents and capabilities, the teachers approached me themselves to ask if I could explain and teach topics discussed in entrepreneurship clubs.” Edna, who also acts as an interpreter of English into local languages and vice versa, describes her role in raising awareness about entrepreneurship.
Edna’s classmate is 16-year-old Amos Ndala. He is also a member of the school entrepreneurial club, which inspired him to launch his own project. He learned about the possibilities and rules of entrepreneurship during a course, which was supported by Caritas Czech Republic and financed through UNHCR and the Czech Development Agency. Amos then motivated other children to participate in weekly business clubs.
Amos revealed more about himself and his project: “I work together with my mother, who allows me to use one hectare of land to grow rice. The harvest was 22 sacks. My mother sold the rice under my name, which earned me 1 800 Zambian kwacha (about 3 673 CZK). We have recently acquired a license from the Department for forestry and invested into a lumber mill together. Several people got a new job. We currently possess 40 logs worth 35 000 kwacha (about 71 418 CZK). Thanks to the entrepreneurship classes, I have learned to start, maintain, and develop my own company.”
Both Edna and Amos enjoyed playing games and acting out scenes during the classes while they familiarized themselves with the topic of entrepreneurship, business cycle regularities, and an introduction to marketing.
Caritas Czech Republic in cooperation with nongovernmental organization Njovu, o. p. s. wishes further professional success to other participants of the entrepreneurship classes!
More pictures from the business club can be found in the gallery.
