Leonard Cheshire has secured funding for a new three-year inclusive education project in Zambia.

Funds have been provided by The Swedish Postcode Lottery, The Peter Cundill Foundation and Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

The project will see Leonard Cheshire’s work expand to the Eastern Province of Zambia across Chipata, Katete, Nyimba, Petauke and Sinda and reach 750 children across 30 primary schools for the first time.  It will also train 100 teachers and education officials, giving them tools to ensure inclusive learning, and will work with parents and pupils, running child to child clubs to reduce stigma.

The three funders have already provided financial support for a programme based on the highly successful model used across Africa and Asia that has seen nearly 33,000 children with disabilities enrolled and retained at primary school.

In Zambia alone, Leonard Cheshire has facilitated the inclusion of just over 1,500 children across 60 schools in previous programmes across the Southern, Lusaka and Kafue provinces.

Confirming the new funds, Tiziana Oliva, Executive Director, Leonard Cheshire International said: “It’s always satisfying to see our reach broaden into new areas.  It’s indicative of the success of our inclusive education model that more disabled children are benefitting from a positive start in life provided by primary education.”

Marie Dahllöf, Secretary General of the Swedish Postcode Foundation, added: “There are over 600,000 children in Zambia with disabilities but less than half of them have attended school. We are therefore very proud to support Leonard Cheshire in their work to enable increased access to a good and qualitative education for these children.”