Kapila is a local primary school close to the Kagem Mine. It serves a large population across three classroom blocks and is run under the purview of the District Education Board System (DEBS) within the Ministry of Education. Children attend up to secondary school age. Before this project, the infrastructure was basic: there were no computers, no internet and no power.
On 8 November 2023, Kagem Mining and Gemfields Foundation – thanks to generous funding from Assore International Holdings Ltd – handed over a newly constructed block with three classrooms and a fully equipped solar powered computer lab to Lufwanyama’s Kapila Primary School to enhance the quality of education in the area.
The project, completed at a cost of approximately ZMW 6.9 million (USD 316,000), puts Kapila Primary School among the handful of educational institutions in the area offering computer lessons to its pupils.
Kapila Primary School, which has seen the student population rise from 201 to 342 over the past year, now has three new classrooms, which will help cater for early years learning, as well as 30 new desktop computers, connected to high-speed internet for computer-based learning.
The computer lab runs on solar energy. The installation of the solar panels on the roof of the school is an unprecedented development in the district, meaning that Kapila will also serve as an example of how green energy can help foster learning and development in the area.
The aim of the project is to lift the ceiling of the opportunities available to students at Kapila. With the unlimited learning possibilities accessible on the internet, it is Gemfields’ hope that these children can fuel their ambition and unlock their potential.
The company aims for this to become one of many computer labs, with a view to transforming the futures of young children living in remote African villages.
