Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress... James 1:27

The ultimate outcome of Haven of Hope is for our students to leave us with the skills necessary to contribute spiritually, economically and politically to the future of Zambia. To that end, we are currently working on three goal areas:

Goal One: Provide an excellent Christian education for the children of Ndola, Zambia.

During 2008-2009 Zambian and American educators have worked together to develop a comprehensive curriculum that meets the needs of our students. Further, we have drawn upon research on effective instruction in an effort to establish teaching methods that focus on (a) increasing student engagement through active responding, (b) increasing the clarity of content presentation using explicit instruction, and (c) using data to guide instruction and provide accountability.

Future steps

During the next year we are working to “institutionalize” these teaching methods through a series of handbooks and videos. Additionally, the development of a distance support system that draws upon the expertise of our volunteers is currently underway.

Goal Two: Provide professional development program for teachers

Unlike the United States where teachers often complete 4-6 years of training, Zambian teachers are often given only cursory training in both content and pedagogy. In the poorest areas of Zambia, teachers may have only a high school education, with no formal teacher training. So then, the teachers of the most needy children are often under-equipped for the job.

Two things are clear in the teacher training research literature. First, children with excellent teachers generally make more progress than children with less well trained teachers. Second, teachers continue to engage in the teaching behaviors that helped them get through their first year of teaching – whether effective or ineffective. While these findings may be intuitive, they nonetheless present difficulties for any school.

During 2008-2009 a series of teacher trainings were conducted in the Nkwasi Compound(SPELLING HELP). These trainings were presented in person as well as through distance technologies (i.e., DVDs). The focus of the trainings was on teacher presentation skills that increase student achievement.

Future Steps

We plan to continue providing training to teachers at Haven of Hope, as well as other teachers in the community via both in person and distance methods. It is through these trainings that our teachers will become experts in the science of teaching and learning.

Goal Three: Build into the DNA of each school the importance of giving back to the community

As part of the “Hand Up” as opposed to a “Hand Out” philosophy of Haven of Hope, we are focusing on service as an important component of the curriculum. Team building activities (e.g., field days, soccer matches) and service projects are now the norm at Haven of Hope. As John F. Kennedy once said, “…ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” Any turn around in Zambia must start from within and must be rooted in service.

Current Opportunities:

The children of Zambia need teachers interested in mentoring their fellow professionals in Zambia. Professionals interested in helping should go to the contacts page.