Happy Anniversary!! Our Read for Rose Special Education Program Turns Three!
By Annabel Mumba
Annabel Mumba is AEP’s Donor Relations Coordinator in Zambia. She is a Scholarship Fund recipient, high school graduate, and also one of our Success Stories.
When March comes around, we not only get to celebrate the anniversary of our Read for Rose Special Education Program, but also the many achievements and milestones met during the last three years. We recently caught up with Febby Choombe, AEP’s Director of Special Education. For those of you who have not met Febby, let us remind you that she is an alumni of AEP’s Scholarship Program. Febby completed high school and earned a BA in Education from the University of Zambia thanks to AEP scholarships. She has always dreamed of changing the special education landscape in Zambia. In 2019, Febby and AEP launched the Read for Rose Special Education Program. It brings Febby great joy knowing that the students she works with are learning because she can teach them in a way that makes sense to them. Febby excitedly shared, “When we first started Read for Rose, the goal was to reach out to these (special needs) kids. Along the way, we discovered that the students were not only struggling with surviving in the community but lacked a language and an identity. I am happy to say that our students have learned a language and are proudly able to communicate with us, their teachers and friends. And, Read for Rose has helped them find their own voice and identity too.”
Febby(m) and her assistant, Annie(l), pose for a photo with the Read for Rose students outside of Munali Secondary School.
Febby and her Assistant, Annie Nyambe, operate the Read for Rose Special Education Program in a “twin center” – a rented home dedicated to serving the girls and boys of the community of Zambian Compound, commonly known as ZC. Febby identified the pandemic as a major challenge to her students in the past two years however it was through the pandemic that she saw the greatest achievements happen. The impact that the Read for Rose Special Education Program has had in the lives of three students, in particular, has been quite remarkable. Two students living with speech and hearing impairments, and one living with a visual impairment, successfully managed to take the next step in their education journey and progress to secondary school.
Precious and Goodson are the two students living with speech and hearing impairments who are now enrolled in the 8th grade at Munali Secondary School under the special education unit. The two joined Read for Rose in 2019 when it opened its doors. With Teacher Febby’s assistance, they competently learned braille and wrote their Grade 7 Composite Examination in 2021.
They not only passed but were recorded as top students in their class and succeeded to secondary school with merits. “Passing my exams and moving to a new grade is a dream come true for me. I never knew that I could even do that. Teacher Febby and Annie helped me get this far and I am grateful!” Precious shared in sign language. Goodson also shared, “Teacher Febby and Annie helped me to pass my exams. Their teaching and encouragement made me feel confident when I was writing my exams. I am grateful to them.”
Winnifrida is AEP’s student living with a visual impairment who transferred to Munali Secondary School last year as well. AEP is hopeful that Munali Secondary School can meet the needs of all our students and their challenges.
Febby and Annie’s success does not end here. The duo keeps looking for different ways in which they can effectively teach the children and uplift their lives. They are working closely with AEP’s Monitoring & Evaluation Department and have introduced a brand new program that will further their impact and reach, the Student Tracking Program. The Student Tracking Program is a database that focuses on each students’ individual needs and impairments. It looks at the students’ academic, learning skills, and livelihood empowerment. With this in place, Teacher Febby and Annie are now working with each student separately to meet his or her specific needs.
Assistant teacher Annie enjoys teaching sign language to the children.
Vincent, an AEP high school graduate, is spending his gap year before university volunteering at Read for Rose.
Read for Rose now has 18 students that are active in the program and who walk through its doors every day. The rising number of kids has called for an extra pair of hands to ease their work and thankfully two AEP high school graduates are spending their gap year between high school and college giving back at Read for Rose.
The Nutrition Program also continues to be an important element at Read for Rose. A full and nutritious meal consisting of Nshima, a protein, and a vegetable is served daily to these children. Sometimes this is their only meaningful meal of the day.
Annie took time to share how these three years have not only changed the students’ lives that she works with but also hers as well. She shared that she is a more confident person and developing leadership skills. She noted how the achievements that the special center has acquired over the years and working with kids with special needs has helped her choose her career.
We asked Febby what her plans are for Read for Rose and she responded, “My assistant and I are working on introducing a class for the parents of the children in the Read for Rose Program. In this class we will teach them basic sign language so that they can be able to effectively communicate with their children in their homes. We have seen the need as the parents have reached out and shared their desire to hold conversations with them.”
Another notable plan that Febby has for Read for Rose is starting entrepreneurship classes with the students. Febby plans on working closely with the Entrepreneurship & Financial Literacy Program coaches to teach the children basic money and savings skills. She believes that once the children learn these basic skills they will be capable of living independently in society and feel like a part of the community.
“I see these students investing back into the program and teaching their fellow students. I am seeing great leaders, businessmen, teachers, doctors, and I am so excited to see what will become of them. I am very grateful to AEP for trusting not only in my dreams but in these kids’ dreams to succeed as well. Three years feels like a dream and I believe it is just the beginning!”
Teacher Febby shares a lesson in the classroom.