John Zimba

2018 Fellowship Alumnus, Zambia

YALI10 Competition, Semi-Finalist: Handover Ceremony of Mpapa Community School

In celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), the U.S. Department of State, in partnership with the Wilson Center, opened a competition under the theme“YALI at 10: My Life, My Community, and My World.” Selected submissions were showcased at the YALI tenth anniversary virtual summit in May 2021, where a decade of YALI change-makers and their achievements were celebrated.  Submissions included a variety of media, including videos, short essays, poems, songs, spoken word, and sketches.

We’re proud that several Fellowship Alumni were among the finalists and semi-finalists in the contest, including 2018 Fellowship Alumnus John Zimba from Zambia who studied Leadership in Civic Engagement at Appalachian State University.

Please note that competition entries reflect the thoughts and opinions of Fellowship Alumni and may not reflect views of the U.S. Government.

Handover Ceremony of Mpapa Community School

“It is our vision and mission to support such projects and programs that seek to empower communities with knowledge and skills. This will help us fight illiteracy and poverty, especially in rural areas of Zambia.”

2018 Fellowship Alumnus John Zimba, Zambia

John Zimba is founder of Chiparamba Trust Organization, which promotes literacy in rural areas. He also works with groups of youth who are civically disengaged. John uses academic and non-academic institutions to teach citizenship skills to youth and encourage learning in open spaces for out-of-school children. This video highlights an opening ceremony for Mpapa Community School, whose new school building was funded by Chiparamba Trust Organization.

Learn more about the other YALI 10 Competition winners.

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