Frontiers Learning Center is a community-based center for intellectual, social, moral and spiritual The village is under the ruling of a traditional Chief.
Frontiers Learning Center is situated in Liteta Village, one of the most populated rural villages in Chibombo-Chisamba districts, Central Province, about 85kms away from the capital city. The village is divided into six sections, one of which is the location of the Learning Center. It has above 450 families consisting of over 2200 people, of which more than 25% are below 14 years old. Majority of
the people are pheasant farmers who depend their nourishment on rain fed farming. Among the challenges that face the community include lack of education and access to schools, lack of access to clean drinking water (most of them use shallow wells for drinking which often gets contaminated during rainy season), early marriage, poverty, prostitution, alcohol and drug abuse. Conversations among a family and a group of few friends began in 2013, along with a series of consultation meetings with some of the parents in the community. These meaningful conversations gave birth to a clarity that the community would greatly benefit from the establishment of a learning center. Although economically-disadvantaged, the parents realize the great need for education, so as the space for everyone to learn. Considering their reality, the parents pledged that if they will be helped to put up the classrooms, they will make an effort to pay the teachers who will arise to educate their children. A family and few friends put their resources together and met the other end of this group effort. In January 2014, Frontiers Learning Center began its operations as a preschool, tuition center for young mothers who are rewriting their high school examinations, literacy center for illiterate adults, as well as a center for other community building processes such as junior youth spiritual empowerment program, children’s classes, youth classes and venue of consultation meetings for both youth and adults. The learning center seeks to serve as a center of education for the community to develop the intellectual, spiritual and social capabilities of the villagers, as well as, to enrich their capacities in serving the various processes of community life. It also aims to generate learning that is hoped to contribute to the development of other educational endeavors at community level. The learning center continues to grow in many aspects this year as well as the requirements it needs to sustain growth. There is every indication of its great potential to develop further if these requirements are met. Among them are the needs to increase parents’ support towards the school, build more classrooms, sustain conversations about the importance of education in the community, continue building capacity of the teachers and continuously develop human resources for the school, get accredited by the government and acquire educational materials such as books for pupils, teaching materials and other learning resources. Some of the specific areas that the learning center needs assistance is the acquisition of more books and learning materials for the learners, proper and sufficient piped water supply, first aid box and sick bed, playground, sports tools and equipment, storage room, adequate school furniture, wire fence around the school (parents will bring the fence posts and will put it up), adequate toilets, separate for boys and girls and teachers.
07/05/2016
