Zambia Project

In early 2023, our organization was contacted by the Physical Education and Sports Teachers Association of Zambia (PESTAZ) and asked if we could help improve the quality of physical education in their country. We are more than excited about this opportunity to make a big impact in children's lives.

We have been tasked with helping:
  1. ​Advocate for quality physical education practices and policies with various Zambian stakeholders.
  2. Create a website for their organization.
  3. Develop national standards and grade level outcomes.
  4. Provide pedagogical training for Zambian teachers.

Core Principles for this Project

  • Cost Effective: All work we do on service projects is pro bono (although we do hire people outside our organization when needed). The university foundation takes 5% for administrative fees and the rest of any money we raise goes straight to the project. Along with being judicious with funds, this allows us to accomplish a lot with very little.​
  • ​Realistic: This project is composed of volunteers who have other personal and professional responsibilities. We need to keep in mind what is doable.
  • ​​Sustainable: The goals of this program will continue after our work is done. We hope to achieve this by training Zambian professional development leaders and creating collaborations with other organizations in Africa.
  • Zambian: We want this project as Zambian forward as possible. Their perspective and context will always be at the forefront of our decisions. We will also source materials and equipment from Zambia when possible.
Core Team from the US and zambia

US Team

Zambia Team

  • National Project Consultant & Government Representative: Monica Sitima, MA
  • ​National Project Coordinator: Justine Kabungo, PhD
  • ​Deputy National Project Coordinator: Don Makayi​
  • ​​Project Secretary & Media Specialist: Clive Nyambe
  • ​Deputy Project Secretary: Grable Haankanga
  • ​Professional & Curriculum Specialist: James Kapansa
  • ​Assistant Professional & Curriculum Specialist: Maybin Siame
  • Team Members: Mwelwa Litongola, Dominic Mabele, Marius Mumba, and Sitali Mayamba

Plans for 2025

Money raised for the project goes towards airfare, lodging, food, equipment, the event space, and miscellaneous expenses. The supportREALteachers team is not compensated for the work they do. ​Details are subject to change based on ongoing discussions with PESTAZ.
  • 2025 Equipment Fundraiser: We are raising money for durable, multi-use, low cost equipment. The equipment will be tied to the grade level outcomes they create and sourced from Zambia when possible.
  • 2025 Fall Trip: Professional development conference for leaders in Zambian physical education. It will be similar to the 2024 conference (see below for more info).
  • Ongoing Website Support: We will assist them in creating a website for their organization.

2024 Professional Development Conference - Completed
In August of 2024, we sent a team to conduct a free training conference for physical education teachers in Zambia. These teachers were selected from the various provinces in Zambia and will take the learning from these conferences to other physical education teachers in their region. Planning for this event started a year prior and involved a lot of logistical challenges. Content for the sessions were based on the numerous meetings we've had, a needs survey completed by the teachers, consultation with our cultural liaison, and our own expertise. 
Our team also met with various government and school officials to advocate for appropriate school policies and resources for Zambia physical education. We also invited various non-profit organizations that had physical activity programs in Zambia. They participated in the sessions and also had discussions on how they can support each other.

​All in all, we are extremely happy with this event and we look forward to returning next year!