Living in Zambia

“The only man I envy is the man who has not yet been to Africa – for he has so much to look forward to.” - Richard Mullin

AISL is located on the outskirts of Lusaka in a beautiful part of the world. Zambia is full of natural beauty and is rich in culture.

Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. One of the fastest-‐developing cities in Southern Africa, Lusaka is located in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about 1,300 metres (4,265 feet). As of 2010, the city's population is about 1.7 million. Lusaka is the centre of both commerce and government in Zambia. Zambia has experienced political stability for the past two decades. English is the official language of the city, but Nyanja, and Bemba are also common. (Wikipedia)

If you’re out to experience the ‘real’ Africa, Zambia is that diamond in the rough. The country boasts some of the continent’s best safari parks, and shares (with Zimbabwe) some of the region’s major highlights: Victoria Falls in Southwestern Zambia, Lake Kariba as well as Lower Zambezi National Park in Southeastern Zambia. It is also an angler’s dream, as fishermen hail from all over the world to try their luck on the mighty Zambezi River with the hopes of landing a toothy tigerfish or the rare, giant vundu. Avid birders also flock to Zambia to glimpse its fabulous diversity of birds, most notably Chaplin’s barbets. (Lonely Planet)

In all of its natural beauty, Lusaka, Zambia is still a part of the developing world and with that comes challenges. Be prepared for occasional power cuts and/or surges, an inconsistent (although improving!) Internet connection, things not always working, instances of petty theft, and a slower pace of life.

Weather

Community

Giving back to Zambia

Links

Weather

Zambia has three definable seasons: cool and dry from May to August, hot and dry from September to November, and warm and wet during the rainy season from December to April. Average rainfall is 32cm and temperatures vary between 32 and 10 degrees C (90 and 50 degrees F). In the cool season the nights are often chilly enough for a jacket. The high altitude (1,000 – 1,350 metres above sea level) tempers the humidity so that the climate is very pleasant.

Community

AISL is at the center of a warm, truly diverse international community that extends well beyond students, parents and staff.

Please check out the following sections on the Community page

Parent Teachers Association
Events in the Community
Sports in the Community
Students in the Community
Facilities for the Community

Giving back to Zambia

Areas where AISL has a positive impact on Zambia:

Service projects

The school offers around twenty student-led community service projects every year. All secondary students participate in this program for at least 14 hours per year.
As a graduation requirement, all students must conduct a minimum of 50 hours of service activities during the Grades 11 and 12 years.
All students must conduct a Personal Project experience during Grade 10. Many students have chosen service-oriented activities for their Personal Project.
We donate our used paper and plastic bags to two community projects, Apters and Chikumbuso respectively, which are then turned into art that is sold at local markets to support needy Zambians.
We host a Zambia Day celebration each October to raise awareness of our host country. This includes providing a forum for local vendors and artisans to work with our students and sell their products.
Many of our teachers regularly volunteer their personal time at orphanages, schools, Circus Zambia, and other local organizations.
AISL regularly donates its facilities, such as the theater, gym, and playing fields, to non-profit organizations and service projects o AISL just donated 200 pairs of athletic socks to the Sporting Wave Outreach Football Academy.
AISL partners with the Leopard Hill Football League and the Torpedoes Triathlon to support these community events at our facility.

Scholarship program

In any given year, we offer six full-tuition scholarships to AISL for needy Zambian students who show significant academic potential. Of the four graduates thus far from our scholarship program, two have earned full-tuition university scholarships

Supporting Education in Zambia.

AISL is a founding member of the Independent Schools Association of Zambia (ISAZ), which is a professional association committed to strengthening education in Zambia.
AISL holds the Vice Chair position in ISAZ.
Every year, AISL hosts the ISAZ Teachers Teaching Teachers Conference. This conference provides a day of professional development to more than 300 Zambian teachers. For many of these teachers, this will be the only professional development they get each year. AISL teachers volunteer to run at approximately 60-70% of the workshops at each conference.
AISL is a center for professional development in Zambia. Beyond the teachers’ conference mentioned above, we host several other professional development experiences each year, to which local schools are invited. During the 2017-18 school year so far, we have hosted three International Baccalaureate workshops, one Making Thinking Visible workshop, and one Cognitive Coaching workshop.
AISL has a partnership with a local school called the Mukwashi School. Groups of their teachers visit our campus each year to work alongside and learn from our teachers.
AISL is one of the few schools in Lusaka that offers a program for children with special educational needs. Although students in this program pay regular tuition (and, thus, is not a service project), we do fill a need for this type of education in the community.
Each year AISL hosts the Zambian Model United Nations (ZAMMUN) which is an MUN experience for local schools.

Employing Zambians and Supporting Local Business

AISL directly employs 66 Zambians on a full-time basis across our faculty, administration, and support staff.
AISL directly employs 22 Zambians on a part-time basis for coaching in our extracurricular program.
AISL supports many local businesses and indirectly employs 72 Zambians through our contracted full-time service providers such as security, cleaning, busing, and catering.
Dozens more are indirectly employed by vendors who provide other services such as trash collection and pool cleaning.
More than seventy Zambians are currently being employed by the contractor who is constructing Phase 1A.
AISL indirectly supports all embassies and companies that are looking for an accredited international institution for their employees’ children. The College Counselor works pro-bono with local Zambian deaf students, one of whom, is now in his sophomore year at the University of Toronto on a full-ride scholarship.

Links

Below are links to a few helpful websites to help you get acquainted with Zambia.

News and Magazines on-line

And this is a great one-off post that's worth a read

A Cup of Jo: Parenting in Zambia

An AISL teacher’s thoughts on Zambia-

Having lived in 4 African countries and travelled in more than 10, Zambia stands out. Not only does Zambia offer amazing experiences of flora and fauna through the Lower Zambezi, South Luangwa, Kafue National Parks and many other parks and reserves, Victoria Falls is a life-changing experience, especially during the height of the rainy season! Closer to home and school, Lusaka National Park is a 20-minute drive to see a variety of bird-life, antelope species, giraffe, and 2 protected rhinos; you can even mountain bike in the park! Speaking of biking, great trails to explore and ‘get lost’. The housing is the best in my overseas’ experience and helps balance coming home from a full day at school. Power cuts do occur, yet candles, torches, and school-provided generators assist our abilities to adjust and grow. Most importantly, the people of Zambia are beautiful- their culture, sense of humor, command of English, music, acceptance and friendliness.

-Michael Ryan

Living in Zambia

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