The Charity Centre for Children and Youth Development (CCCYD) is a non-governmental organization based in the town of Solwezi in northwestern Zambia, near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Solwezi has grown significantly since 2005 due to the rapid development of the mining industry. The largest copper mine in Africa, the Kansanshi mine, is located about 10 km north of the city. The T5 highway is an important transit route to Angola and runs through the centre of the town of Solwezi. The coming and going of travellers makes it a lively city and therefore a good place to start a business.

CCCYD helps vulnerable women, children, and young people with education and to improve their health and living standards. In 2017 they built the “Fortune School for Excellence” and provided primary education to 380 young people. CCCYD now wants to expand primary education with vocational training (carpenter, bricklayer, plasterer, mechanic, tailor, computer expert and farmer).

Solwezi is located in the Northwest Province, one of the poorest provinces in Zambia: sparsely populated, very rural and with limited infrastructure. Despite improvement in recent years, typical indicators of development – such as per capita income, employment and access to water and electricity – are all still much lower than in the Copperbelt.

Solwezi is home to the Kansanshi mine, which produces 260,000 tons of copper per year, nearly 40% of Zambia’s total production. Solwezi resembles a large, bustling slum that is making economic progress in a flurry of chaotic, almost undisciplined growth.

The economic impact of the Kansanshi mine is multiplied several times over as new businesses, new jobs and new disposable income are created in sectors that may not even be directly related to the mines’ operations.

However, in order for the local population to benefit from the current economic development, there is an urgent need for young people to acquire skills for jobs that are in high demand.

According to the Charity Centre for Children and Youth Development (CCCYD), an ideal society eradicates poverty, HIV, AIDS, and illiteracy among its vulnerable population. In 2017, CCCYD built the Fortune School for Excellence and provided primary education to 380 young people. In recent years, it provided entrepreneurship training to some 300 small-scale farmers and provided crutches, walkers, and wheelchairs to about 3000 people with a physical disability. A poultry farm and broiler breeding facility has been set up at the primary school in Solwezi, and CCCYD now also wants to start vocational training courses at the same primary school.

Tools 4 Change (Betuwe Worldwide) will provide CCCYD with the tools and machines for the carpenter, bricklayer, plasterer, mechanic, tailor, and computer skills courses.

CCCYD want to expand primary education with vocational training for carpenter, bricklayer, plasterer, car mechanic, tailor, computer expert and farmer. Consultations have taken place with the national examination institute TEVETA in order to be able to award recognized professional diplomas. The plan has two tracks: (1) being able to provide for one’s own livelihood after training as an independent craftsman or woman and (2) making products during vocational training that can be sold and the proceeds of which will benefit underprivileged children. Primary school pupils will also benefit, as  they will learn working with tools. CCCYD expects to provide vocational training to 800 young people under the age of 18, of whom 300 orphans.

Successful initiatives such as these do not go unnoticed. Residents of the region tell each other their experiences and the economic development as a result of vocational training is visible to others. As a result, young people will continue to register for training in the coming years. CCCYD can pay the running costs from the training fees paid by the students and the income from the sale of products and services during the training.

After the training, young people can start their own business or work as an employee at a company. Their income can be used to pay for more and more varied food, medical care, and school fees for children, breaking a vicious circle of poverty.

The machines and tools financed by the Foundation and supplied by the Betuwe Worldwide Foundation were delivered in April 2023 and have since been used in practical lessons.