Sifa a Congolese Tutsi from Western Uganda
Radio school learners in rural Zambian one-roomed schoolhouse in 2007

By Kristine Pearson. First published on the author’s LinkedIn page.

A colleague advised me to look at Lifeline Energy’s Facebook feed as a Zambian man named Cephas said “I will forever be grateful for what those radios did for me.”

Eventually, I made contact with Cephas, who told me his story. Back in the 2000s, Cephas was one of eight children living with his peasant (his word) farming family in rural Mpongwe, in Zambia’s vast Copperbelt Province. During British Colonial rule, copper was the mainstay of the Northern Rhodesian (what Zambia was called then) economy. Even now, copper remains Zambia’s main export, accounting for more than 60% of its export earnings.

Like most provinces in Zambia at the turn of the last century, there was a shortage of rural schools. Sparsely populated outside cities and towns, Zambia, more than twice the size of Germany and slightly larger than Texas, had only 11 million inhabitants. At this time, HIV/AIDS was ravaging the country and two teachers were dying for each one being trained. Tens of thousands of children were being orphaned at an alarming rate. Life expectancy was 39 years.

Radio school providing a high-quality, basic education

This is where radio schools played a significant part in the education of a nation. The Ministry of Education (MOE) in collaboration with the award-winning US education NGO, Education Development Center (EDC), created an interactive audio learning system called Learning at Taonga Market for grades 1-7. Each lesson played for 30-minutes and followed the national curriculum. School years have three terms and there were 150 lessons in total, plus five teacher training lessons at the beginning of each term. Children in radio classrooms had to take the same exams as well-resourced government schools and usually scored 10-15% higher. The MOE told me that nearly a million children (and some adults) listened to the Taonga Market programme at some point.

Communities that wanted radio schools were asked to build a some type structure where children could meet and to try to provide desks and chairs or benches for them to sit. This didn’t always happen, at least right away. Literate community mentors were trained to use radio as a teaching tool. The problem was that there weren’t radios to access the programming. Further, C or D batteries to power large radios were needed weekly, which were unaffordable and unavailable.

A outdoor radio school classroom of Grade 2 students.
A outdoor radio school classroom of Grade 2 students.
This is where our Lifeline radio came into its own—the first power-independent radio designed and created for humanitarian initiatives, it was ideal for classrooms, even if that classroom was outdoors. It had FM, AM, and three SW bands, was oversized and blue, had great sound quality and could be powered by a winder handle or a detachable solar panel.

Cephas goes to school

Cephas desperately wanted to attend school. However, the closest government school was nearly 20km away from his home, with a swamp in between. Through one of our programmes sponsored by the Times of London Annual Christmas Appeal, we raised funds for 2,500 Lifeline radios to support community radio schools. It was from this initiative that the village nearest to Cephas received its Lifeline radio through the provincial education ministry.

Cephas told me that his grade 1 and first ‘classroom’ was under a fig tree. He didn’t mind because he loved the LATM programming and the voice of Mrs Musanda, the radio teacher. He pictured her as tall, wearing a chitenge (a traditional colourful dress) and a little intimidating. Every radio school student I spoke to over the years about Mrs Musanda described her differently and without hesitation. This is, to me, the beauty of radio; each child used her or his imagination to visualise the much-loved Mrs Musanda. Until I told him so, Cephas thought Mrs Musanda was a real teacher. She was a radio actress with a wonderful, kind voice and not a trained teacher.

A radio school classroom outside Lusaka. Children sat under the tree to do their lessons watched over by a mentor.
A radio school classroom outside Lusaka. Children sat under the tree to do their lessons watched over by a mentor.
I asked Cephas if he had any photos of himself, he could send me when he was in school or of the school itself. He said no one had cameras then and cell phones with cameras weren’t yet invented. Everyone was poor. Cephas told me he doesn’t have a single photo of himself as a child. This is something we take for granted today. However, a friend sent him the only picture he has of himself (and his friends) in high school. (below)
Cephas and his friends in Grade 12
Cephas and his friends in Grade 12. Cephas is to the right in blue.
To support the children in their lessons, a volunteer literate adult or mentor from the community was trained to use radio as a teaching tool. The teaching mentor was responsible for operating the radio and drawing the letters and numbers either on a blackboard (often makeshift) or in the dirt. Children usually had paper and pencils, and unlike government schools, were not required to wear uniforms.

Cephas said that the 30-minute interactive approach to learning with songs, music and movement fit in with his own learning style. He said the big blue radio was there every day, through every lesson, through every grade to support him.

Eventually the community built a one-room brick structure with a thatch roof. He added he didn’t care whether or not he learned under a tree or in a room, he simply loved learning. And he did well.

Cephas went on to attend a Mpongwe Secondary Day School, which wasn’t far from his home and he walked. He did so well, in fact, that he skipped grade 8. Because of his grades, coupled with his ambition, he was sponsored to attend university. After graduating with a degree in Mechatronics Engineering from Copperbelt University, Cephas moved to Lusaka for work.

Cephas continues his love of education

Today, as an entrepreneur, and married with a son, Cephas founded a thriving technology company in Lusaka called Hero Control Systems, which specialises in innovative tech solutions. His company focuses on creating cutting-edge control systems that improve efficiency and productivity in various industries.

Cephas with his wife Emmarance
Cephas with his wife Emmarance.

In 2022 he launched ZStudy, an education technology start-up to promote the adoption of technology and STEM education in schools. He is the first Zambian to design STEM kits, electronics learning kits to encourage children and university students to code and learn electronics. Additionally, Cephas co-founded a startup in Texas with American co-founders called WaterHandler – a home smart device that avoids water damage resulting from pipes leaks.

Cephas never forgot his humble beginnings, learning to read and write under the shade of a fig tree, with the wind-up radio as his daily companion and guide. His story is a powerful reminder that with the right tools and determination, anyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve their dreams.

NOTE: Except for the high school photo with his friends, none of the images are of Cephas or his radio school classroom, as he said he has no images of. himself as a child or of the radio school. The images are representative of the Learning at Taonga Market radio distance learning programme. Throughout the 2000s, more than 20,000 solar and wind-up radios were distributed in Zambia reaching hundreds of thousands of children who would otherwise not have had listening access.

Author | Kristine Pearson

Author | Kristine Pearson

Chief Executive of Lifeline Energy

Kristine Pearson is the founding Chief Executive of Lifeline Energy since 1999. She was previously an executive with a large South African banking group. Kristine is a fellow of the Schwab Foundation of the World Economic Forum; received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the African Women’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum; served 8 years on the Women’s Leadership Board of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University; was named a Hero of the Environment by Time magazine and was a recipient of the James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award.

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