STS International has one affiliate: School-to-School Zambia. That relationship matters to us, and so does keeping our broader community informed about the work STS Zambia is doing.
On International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3, 2025), STS Zambia published a newsletter highlighting the impact of the Realising Inclusive and Safe Education (RISE) Project — implemented in partnership with Link Education International and funded by the Scottish Government. RISE works to remove barriers to education for children with disabilities, with particular attention to girls, across Zambia, Malawi, and Rwanda.
The newsletter focuses on Nkwashi Primary School in Kabwe district, where the gap between policy and practice has been closing in meaningful ways. Before RISE, the school lacked the training and infrastructure to support learners with disabilities. Discrimination was common; attendance among students with disabilities was not. Through RISE, more than 1,500 teachers and headteachers in Kabwe district have been trained in inclusive education. At Nkwashi Primary, ramps were installed, corridors were cleared, a School Inclusive Education Coordinator was appointed, and weekly awareness sessions became part of school life.
The outcomes are visible in individual students. Chama, a Grade 6 learner with visual and intellectual disabilities, moved from a separate special unit into a mainstream classroom in January 2025. With trained teachers and tailored support, she is now attending regularly and progressing both academically and socially. Faith, a Grade 1 learner with learning difficulties, now has an Individualized Education Plan — and her numeracy has improved measurably.
When schools are equipped to meet students where they are, progress follows. STS Zambia’s updates from the RISE Project offer evidence of that — and STS International is glad to help share it.
Read the full newsletter from School-to-School Zambia → International Day for Persons with Disabilities: Inclusive Schools — The Key to Achieving Inclusive Education