Entrepreneurship — African Education Program

We develop and operate programs as part of our holistic model for promoting community-led transformation.

Through our Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy Program (EFLP), we’re empowering youth and women with the right resources for economic mobility and community-led change.

Women's Business Training graduation ceremony

Unlocking access to business and financial literacy knowledge transforms lives and communities.

Macroeconomic challenges

Zambia’s economy has been struggling for many years, and the country was the first African nation to default on its debt during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic compounded preexisting economic challenges in Zambia, and the population cannot depend on the public sector to create the jobs or drive the innovation needed to reduce poverty.¹
Opportunities to diversify

Only 14% of the labor force in Zambia works in formal employment, and 60% of Zambians work in agriculture, largely dependent on rain-fed subsistence farming. Given the economic headwinds in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zambia needs to broaden its economy beyond its historical concentration in copper mining and agriculture.²
A promising new generation

Zambia has one of the world's youngest and fastest growing populations, with 68% of Zambians under the age of 25. At least 375,000 young people on average will enter the workforce each year until 2030, then doubling between 2030 and 2050. Over the next two generations, Zambia’s young population can champion economic stimulation and stability.³

How we’re accelerating community-led change in Kafue, Zambia

Founded in 2021 in response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy Program (EFLP) creates the opportunity for youth, high school graduates, and women at our flagship Learning & Leadership Center to gain and develop:

The knowledge, skills, and resources needed to start a small business or to enhance the efficiency of an existing business, using a localized approach tailored to doing business in Kafue and Zambia;
Financial literacy and planning skills / tactics in budgeting and saving; and
Entrepreneurial and creative thinking skills about new opportunities within the local community, with an emphasis on maximizing scarce resources.

Our unique approach

Through the Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy Program (EFLP), we’re equipping youth, high school graduates, and women with the knowledge and tools to create sustainable change in their communities.

EFLP Youth Program

We believe that dreaming should be a right, not a privilege, and that dreaming can and should start early. Serving almost 600 youth at the Learning & Leadership Center, the Youth Program equips participants with the crucial building blocks for financial literacy and economic empowerment starting at a young age — including the knowledge and skills to identify business opportunities, formulate a business plan, and conduct market research to assess the viability of a business.
Women's Business Training

In recognition of the outsized role that women, including single mothers and guardians, play at home and in their communities, the Women’s Business Training has been thoughtfully designed to train women participants in the knowledge and resources needed to grow a business and to achieve financial sustainability. All trainings are conducted in the local language, and are flexible for a range of literacy levels.
High School Graduate Workshop

The High School Graduate Workshop reinforces the knowledge and experience of high school graduates who have previously participated in holistic programming at our Learning & Leadership Center. By participating in the Workshop, high school graduates are empowered with the knowledge and resources to start a small business / entrepreneurial venture and to achieve upward economic mobility in the next chapter of their lives.
Pilot Program: Microloans to Women Entrepreneurs

In partnership with Join the Journey / Spark Zambia, we piloted the Spark Zambia Microloan Project with 10 women graduates of our Women’s Business Training in 2022. During the pilot, the participants had the opportunity to access a small loan, along with training and coaching to grow their businesses. We plan to further operationalize and expand access to this program in the future to empower additional women entrepreneurs.

Program Spotlight: Women’s Business Training

We believe that community-driven organizations are best-positioned to create sustainable change, so we partner with local leaders to develop and run life-changing programs at our flagship Learning & Leadership Center in Kafue, Zambia.

For the Women’s Business Training, we utilize the Street Business School (SBS) training methodology because their model is specifically adapted for African contexts and low literacy rates. Trainings are carefully tailored to the community’s specific needs — they are delivered in the local language, and are designed to empower individuals at the base of the economic pyramid by training them to start or grow a sustainable business venture in their local economy.

140 women entrepreneurs have graduated from our Women’s Business Training to date, and more than 600 lives in the Kafue community and beyond have been improved since the program’s inception.

The Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy Program (EFLP) is delivering life-changing results.

Our impact

Women’s Business Training

Every year, over 100 mothers and / or guardians of children and youth at the Learning & Leadership Center in Kafue, Zambia have access to a four-month training in entrepreneurship and financial literacy.

246% — the record-breaking average percentage change in income for our third training cohort (30 women entrepreneurs)

107% — the overall average percentage increase in income across our first six training cohorts

165 women entrepreneurs (across six cohorts) have graduated from the program to date

More than 600 lives in the Kafue community and beyond have been improved as a result of the training’s positive ripple effects

High School Graduate Workshop

100% of workshop graduates report that they plan to start a business after the workshop

More than 50% of workshop graduates have felt motivated to start a second business

25% of workshop graduates have identified a new business idea as a result of the workshop

Petronella, a single mother and one of the women who graduated from the Women’s Business Training in 2021, pictured with her daughter, Suwilanji, who has participated in holistic programming at the Learning & Leadership Center since 2018. As a result of the training, Petronella has grown her business selling vegetables and increased her profit margins — creating a more sustainable future for herself, her family, and her community.