Child Sponsorship

(For more detail, see our Child Sponsorship brochure.)

Choshen Farm is committed to supporting youth of the Fimpulu area by providing scholarships to worthy students to continue their secondary education.

Within Zambia’s public education system, students receive free or low cost education through ninth grade. For those who pass their ninth grade exit exams, secondary education is usually out of reach due to financial constraints. For many students, the cost of boarding schools is far too high to even consider. Many parents save money for years just to send one child to school. Younger siblings in a family almost never have a chance. The difficulty is compounded for students who are either single or double orphans or who come from otherwise difficult family situations. The goal of our scholarship program is to come along side these most vulnerable students and provide crucial assistance towards secondary education.

Advertised by word of mouth and through the guidance teacher at Fimpulu Basic School, students are invited to meet with us individually to discuss the availability of scholarships. Jeremy and Bethany screen all students for eligibility and ultimately make the decisions as to who will be awarded a scholarship. Students living in the greater Fimpulu area, who are entering 10th-12th grade, who come from single parent or child-led homes, who have shown academic ambition in previous years, and who agree to the terms and conditions of the scholarship program, are invited to partake.

During school holidays, (April, August and December) the students are expected to participate on the farm according to the program’s “work-study” model. The students spend several hours each day engaging in farm activities such as planting and watering and also receive regular tutoring in core subjects such as Math and English. As the students work, they learn to value their education. As they are tutored, they are given the knowledge and skills to succeed.

sponsored boys waiting for evening discipleship

Consistent financial support is contingent upon a maintained 70% grade average. Those who fail to perform academically are first offered additional tutoring and removed only if the student shows disinterest in continuing his or her schooling. The majority of students are orphans who track with us in the program for all three years of secondary school.

The number of scholarships available to students is determined by our annual budget. As our budget grows, so does the number of scholarships we are able to award. If ever the demand outgrows the monetary supply, we do prioritize those students who are determined to be most needy. Currently we are sponsoring 25 students and are able to increase that number based on support. Cost of sponsoring a student per term (with three terms in a year) ranges from $$200-$250 depending on the school they are attending. If the student works the full holiday and attends all tutoring sessions, he or she will be sure to receive the full amount needed. We work with students to set up a reasonable budget for each term. They are then sent back to school with cash in hand and return receipts to us each holiday to assure that the money goes only to school fees, uniforms, books, food, housing and transportation. We keep financial records and copies of test results for each student, tracking our investment and their progress.

We truly believe that investment in these students is an investment in Zambia’s future.