The School Club Zambia

What The School Club Zambia does

The School Club Zambia (SCZ) is a non-profit organization co-founded in 2011 by Lois Cochrane, dually registered as a UK charity (Charity Number 1182028) and a Zambian International Non-Governmental Organization (NGO Number RINGO/101/0153/14). Operating from a registered UK office in London (103 Victoria Road, N22 7XG) and an operational headquarters in Sinazongwe district of Southern Province, Zambia, SCZ employs approximately 10 staff across both locations. The organization serves roughly 11 partner schools and over 6,000 children per year in vulnerable rural communities, with more than 20,000 children directly supported since inception.

SCZ's core offering is not a technology product but a comprehensive integrated school-development model built on four interconnected pillars: (1) school enterprise and self-financing through organic gardening, tailoring, chicken-rearing, carpentry, and computer centre enterprises that generate school income (over £35,000 raised independently by school-run businesses since 2011); (2) vocational education delivered through Agricultural Hubs for Sustainable Schools with climate-smart farming methods; (3) literacy development via library construction and supplemental lessons (documented 62% literacy improvement across 5 schools, 2015-2018); and (4) a three-tiered Girls' Education Programme combining sexual and reproductive health education, reusable sanitary pad training, and entrepreneurship. Implementation is delivered through direct on-the-ground engagement with school staff and local Education Authorities, institutionalised by a formal Memorandum of Understanding with the Zambian Ministry of Education and an operational partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture. The Innovation Ambassador Programme adds a six-month paid internship tier (£1,900 per international participant) that pairs volunteers across geographies to start or expand school-run businesses.

Revenue is multi-stream but grant-dependent, with annual expenditure stated as less than £100,000 per year. Funding sources include institutional grants from UK Aid/FCDO (Small Charities Challenge Fund), Comic Relief, the Egmont Trust, the Addax and Oryx Foundation, Scottish Government International Development Fund, and Guernsey Overseas Aid; long-term corporate social responsibility contributions from The Restaurant Group PLC and others; individual donations routed through the CAF and Global Giving platforms (including the £10/month 'Generation Changers' recurring-donor programme and Big Give matched campaigns); and Innovation Ambassador Programme participant fees. Distribution is direct via the Zambia country team, with donor acquisition and stewardship run from the UK.

Name

The School Club Zambia

Legal name

The School Club Zambia

Website

https://schoolclubzambia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The School Club Zambia is a UK-registered charity founded in 2011 delivering vocational education, girls' education, literacy, and school enterprise programmes across 11 partner schools serving over 6,000 children annually in Sinazongwe district of Southern Zambia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

NGO Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Access & Quality (International Development) (BPAGABAE), NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC)

Keywords

• Vocational education training
• Girls education programmes
• Community development charity
• Literacy development programmes
• School enterprise programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations via CAF and Global Giving platforms. Monthly Generation Changers Club donations (£10/month). Operating on less than £100,000 per year.
2. Grants and Foundation Funding: Funding from trusts, foundations, and government aid programmes including UK Aid/FCDO, Comic Relief, Egmont Trust, Addax and Oryx Foundation, and various UK charitable trusts.
3. Corporate Social Responsibility: Corporate partnerships including The Restaurant Group PLC, OHNE, Kit Aid, and Impact Planet providing ongoing commitment to sustain and expand programmes.
4. Innovation Ambassador Programme Fees: Volunteers pay £1,900 which covers accommodation, visa fees, transport, project materials and stipends for Zambian Ambassadors. This provides revenue while also delivering programme impact.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The School Club Zambia delivers educational development programmes to vulnerable schools in the Sinazongwe district of Southern Zambia through four interconnected thematic areas: self-financing schools (income-generation through organic gardens, tailoring, computer centres, chicken-rearing, and carpentry businesses); vocational education (climate-smart agricultural hubs and skills training); literacy development (libraries, extra lessons, and reading resources); and girls' education (a 3-tiered approach addressing menstrual hygiene, sexual reproductive health, and entrepreneurship barriers). The charity operates on less than £100,000 per year, funded primarily by donations, grants from UK trusts and foundations, and corporate partnerships.

Product overview

The School Club Zambia operates as a single unified programme portfolio focused on improving education quality in vulnerable Zambian schools through four interconnected thematic areas: self-financing schools (school enterprise programmes generating income), vocational education (agricultural hubs, tailoring, carpentry, IT training), literacy development (libraries, reading programmes), and girls' education (addressing barriers to completion). The core offering is not a technology product but rather a comprehensive community development approach combining practical skills training with educational support and infrastructure development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Agricultural Hubs for Sustainable Schools
• Girls' Education Programme
• Literacy Development Programme
• School Enterprise Programme
• Early Childhood Development Programme
• Innovation Ambassador Programme A 6-month structured internship pairing international volunteers with local community volunteers to start or expand school-run businesses, costing £1,900 for international participants covering accommodation, visa fees, transport, project materials and Zambian Ambassador stipends.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40.4% reduction in days girls miss school
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ministry of Education ZambiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial MoU in place. Ministry provides technical support to ensure projects align with Ministry's 2017-2022 Education Sector Plan. SCZ included as implementation partner in Sinazongwe District Education Board's 5-year strategic plan.
• Ministry of Agriculture ZambiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking in partnership to implement Agricultural Hubs for Sustainable Schools programme. Sinazongwe District's Agricultural Extension Officer for Mweemba Ward provides ongoing support for Young Farmers' Programme.
• Ministry of Community Development and Social Services ZambiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerINGO registered with Department for NGOs under the Ministry. Submits annual reports and accounts and receives inspection visits of projects.
• OHNEminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate social responsibility partner through their ethical fashion platform.
• Kit AidminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate social responsibility partner providing support through their network.
• Impact PlanetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerImpact-focused corporate partner supporting SCZ's initiatives.
• Accounting for International Development (AfiD UK)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTechnical support partner providing accounting expertise for international development organisations.
• Engineers without Borders (Canada)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTechnical support partner providing engineering expertise for development projects.
• StartUp Generation (Canada)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTechnical support partner for entrepreneurship and startup support.
• Zongwe Farming EnterprisesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZambian corporate CSR partner 2012-2019 supporting agricultural initiatives.
• Best of BikesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZambian corporate CSR partner 2014-2016 supporting transport/mobility initiatives.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Room to Read: Global nonprofit focused on literacy and gender equality in education across Africa and Asia. Comparable because SCZ's Literacy Development Programme (62% literacy gains, library construction) and girls' education work mirror Room to Read's core focus areas, though Room to Read operates at much larger scale.
• CAMFED (Campaign for Female Education): International nonprofit focused exclusively on girls' education and young women's leadership across sub-Saharan Africa, including Zambia. Closely comparable mission on supporting marginalized girls through secondary school and into livelihoods, though operating at significantly larger scale than SCZ.
• African Revival: UK-based charity implementing education, WASH and livelihoods programmes in rural Zambia, Uganda and South Sudan. Directly comparable — same operating geography, same donor base (UK trusts, FCDO-linked), same school-partnership model. Co-founder Lois Cochrane previously worked here, making it an especially close peer.
• Firelight Foundation: US and Africa-based community philanthropy supporting community-led organizations working on children's wellbeing and education in sub-Saharan Africa, including Zambia. Comparable as a similarly sized grantmaker/NGO supporting grassroots education and child welfare programmes in rural African settings.
• Self Help Africa: International development NGO implementing livelihoods, agriculture and education programmes across sub-Saharan Africa, including Zambia. Directly comparable because SCZ's Agricultural Hubs for Sustainable Schools programme (organic farming, climate-smart agriculture, livelihoods) overlaps with Self Help Africa's rural farming and school-linked enterprise focus.
• Teach a Man to Fish: UK-registered NGO running the School Enterprise Challenge, which encourages schools in low-income countries to set up student-run businesses. Directly comparable because SCZ's School Enterprise Programme uses the same school-based income-generation concept that Alice Simakala won recognition for under this organisation's challenge.

Broad incumbents

• World Vision International: One of the largest international humanitarian and development organizations, with extensive Zambia programming in education, child protection and livelihoods. Comparable as a broad incumbent; SCZ's Board Chair Besinati Mepepo formerly held a global leadership role at World Vision, illustrating the sector overlap.
• Plan International (UK): Major international NGO with significant Zambia programming focused on girls' education, child protection and SRHR. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose Girls' Education and SRHR programming overlaps directly with SCZ's 3-tiered girls' programme, but operating at materially larger scale.
• Concern Worldwide: Large Ireland-headquartered humanitarian and development NGO operating in Zambia and across sub-Saharan Africa. SCZ's founder previously worked at Concern Worldwide; comparable as a broad incumbent delivering education, livelihoods and emergency response across multiple countries, with significantly larger budgets and field footprint.

Emerging players

• Africaid Zvandiri: Zimbabwe-anchored community-led organization scaling adolescent health, SRHR and HIV testing programming across Southern Africa. Comparable emerging player because SCZ's reporting of 140% increases in youth HIV testing at targeted clinics and SRHR-linked girls' education work sits in the same Southern Africa adolescent SRHR space, though Africaid operates more narrowly on health than SCZ.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SchoolClubZam
• Facebookfacebook.com/schoolclubzambia
• Instagraminstagram.com/theschoolclubzambia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-school-club-zambia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The School Club Zambia