LONDON, UK – The Costa Foundation has announced the development of a new school project in Zambia. The country will be the 10th to benefit from investment, as the Costa Foundation enters its 10th year since its launch in 2007.
The news comes as part of an ambitious expansion programme set out by the Costa Foundation. The charity will aim to raise £20m and complete their 100th school by 2021, building on the nearly 30,000 school places which have been created by the Costa Foundation to date.
The first phase of the Kasama school in Zambia will open early next year accepting 200 children. Collaborating with a group of donors, the school will boast classrooms, science and IT labs, a kitchen and boarding facilities, and run off renewable energy. It will grow year on year and aim to accommodate up to 1000 pupils.
Kasama in the Northern Province was chosen by the Costa Foundation’s implementing partner PEAS, Promoting Equality in African Schools. Secondary school enrolment is low in the province, the area is under resourced and the quality of education is poor.
There are only 10 secondary schools for 15,000 secondary school pupils in Kasama, leading to a sharp drop in enrolment between the end of primary and entry to secondary school.
The school will support children in the surrounding area to access secondary school, and is also supporting the local community by providing job opportunities during construction and once the school is open.
The Costa Foundation’s mission is to improve the life chances of boys and girls in coffee growing communities by providing them with access to a safe, quality education. Since its launch in 2007 it has supported 75 school projects across nine countries – building or extending school buildings and providing essential facilities and equipment, including connecting water supplies, and supplying computers.
In Ethiopia, where the Foundation has built 17 schools and invested in several other school projects, the Foundation’s work is having a clear impact. 300 students from Costa Foundation schools have moved onto higher education, and extra curricular clubs and health education has helped kickstart a substantial drop in the HIV rate in some communities.
Ayana Ware studied at one of the very first Costa Foundation schools in rural Ehtiopia. After going on to complete a degree in civic education, he has returned to teach in his home town and said:
“If Dimtu high school [local Costa Foundation school] hadn’t been built, my chance would have been blocked and I would remain home as a traditional farmer. It served as a bridge to achieve my ambition. In 2016 I’ve graduated with a degree, and returning to my high school as a teacher makes me feel great and special.
The more you help to educate people the less poor they will be. Thank you very much.”
Sandy Gourlay, Charity & Community Manager, Costa Coffee, said:
“The Costa Foundation set out to help those people in the wider coffee community who do not have access to a decent education. In just 10 years it has achieved remarkable successes, directly impacting thousands of lives for the better.
Costa aim to make a meaningful contribution to the communities we serve and we are committed to supporting the Costa Foundation deliver on its mission to improve the life chances of boys and girls in coffee farming communities by providing the opportunity for a safe, quality education. The entire Costa team are incredibly excited to support the Costa Foundation in Zambia, and with the ambition to bring this model of school investment to as many people as possible.”
The Costa Foundation
The Costa Foundation currently funds school projects in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, Nicaragua, Vietnam and Uganda. For further information about the Costa Foundation or to read more case studies, please visit www.costafoundation.com.
Costa raises funds through a range of channels including merchandise and confectionary sales, and a variety of in store team member fundraising initiatives. Last year, employees in the UK alone raised £453,000 to support the Foundation’s work.
