The joint-EAC-World Vision "Empowering Vulnerable Children with Education (EVE)" project, implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of General Education (MoGE) and the Forum for African Women Educationalists of Zambia (FAWEZA) aims to increase retention, access and learning of 7,000 at-risk children in quality primary education, in Namwale district, which is one of the most marginalised districts in Zambia.  

The EVE project will target children from vulnerable households who attend primary school and are at high risk of dropping out of school. These are children  facing three or more of the following  categories of unique disadvantage: i) inability to attend regularly, due to long distances from home to school or a threat of sexual/gender-based violence; ii) disability; iii) overage; iv) orphan; v) learners with chronically ill parents who are too vulnerable to provide for their children; vi) learners from female/child/elderly-headed households who are unable to make ends meet; vii) child labourers; and vii) children in early marriages. 

The project will link existing child-protection and education systems to develop an Early Warning System (EWS) to identify at-risk children, determine how the risk factors can be mitigated, take action and monitor the situation. The EWS programme will mobilise Stay in School Committees (SISC) to work collaboratively with the school administration to identify and monitor students at risk of dropping out. In addition to identification and monitoring, the EWS identifies causes of absenteeism and monitors and offers tailored retention responses through action-oriented work plans to combat the incidences of dropout. The project will use readily-available school data and a register to track three predictors to intervene with respect to at-risk learners: i) attendance, ii) behaviour and iii) course performance.