January 2014 will see the opening of a new secondary school in the town of Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia.
Martin and Karolyn Simbeye relocated from the UK in May 2012 to oversee the construction of, and then teach in, the new secondary school which has a clear Christian ethos.
As committed Christians they have long had a vision to use their teaching experience to demonstrate God’s love to those without the benefits they themselves have enjoyed.
Benefits of education
Both Martin and Karolyn trained as teachers in the UK. Martin is a Zambian national who has lived and worked in Britain for many years. His wife Karolyn is British and grew up in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, where she was a member of Longmeadow Evangelical Church. In their first years of marriage they lived in Leeds. They now have three young children. Karolyn and Martin are very aware of all the benefits of being in a good education system. Now their vision is to see high quality education provided in an area where there is little or none currently on offer.
The Vinjeru School will enable vulnerable children from families of low incomes to access education and increase their chances of employment. This will be of benefit to themselves and their families and thus, it is hoped, break the cycle of poverty.
The whole school project will play its part in the ongoing development of the town of Kapiri Mposhi and its growing population. Local people are being employed in the initial building of the school premises and other help will be required once the school itself is opened. All of this is being conducted in a clearly Christian environment. This is already producing spiritual fruit, as some of the people who have worked as builders on the site have turned to the Lord Jesus Christ and put their faith in him.
