Restless Development Zambia

Huge congratulations to Karen Mapulanga, our Staff Member of the Quarter!

Karen constantly goes beyond her core responsibilities, providing vital support to her colleagues and driving our organisational initiatives forward. Her positive impact and dedication embody the spirit of Restless Development.

Traditional leaders play an important role in adopting and sustaining progressive community practices. To ensure their active involvement in community development and behavioural change, we held a Chiefs Engagement Meeting in Central Province through the UNESCO-supported O3 Project.

This meeting was one of the ways we are building ongoing support and continuity for the lessons and skills taught to learners through the Ministry of Education Life Skills and Health Education Framework in school. We have been collaborating with the Ministries of Education, Health, and Local Government to strengthen coordination, encourage community ownership, and develop practical solutions to address challenges faced by adolescents and young people, such as early and unintended pregnancies, gender-based violence, school dropouts, and harmful cultural practices in the communities the learners come from.

Our recent engagement concluded with resolutions, including commitments by traditional leaders to strengthen chiefdom by-laws that promote school re-entry for pregnant girls, support safe spaces for adolescents, and foster greater collaboration with schools and health facilities within their chiefdoms.