Birdland School was founded in May, 2001 as a not-for-profit to provide nursery and primary education to the Kaunda Square compound and its surrounding communities.The school is located in the peri-urban area of Lusaka City, Zambia’s capital. Kaunda Square community is an area recognized by closely packed houses, severe power cuts, water and sanitation problems.Also, most of its residents are either unemployed or under-employed. The children are served by a dedicated team of 24 teaching and support staff. These fees vary from one family to another according to their income. However, there are some families that cannot afford to pay at all and the school meets all their children's needs for them, including lunch from the school kitchen. In 2005, the school initiated a credit facility to enable the disadvantaged members of the Birdland School community access small loans start small business ventures. Recently, the school has embarked on another project that will benefit some of the parents/guardians that are neither in business or employment. A small piece of land has been rented for them to do gardening in the dry season and farming in the rainy season. This helps them sell the vegetables for cash and home consumption; as well as with the feeding program.
