Ten years of Manchester Zambia educational partnership

Celebrations have been held to mark the ten year anniversary of a special partnership linking Manchester and Zambian schoolchildren.

In 2001 three workers from the Manchester Healthy Schools Partnership travelled to the city of Kabwe in Zambia to establish a link with three schools.

Ten years on and the partnership is still going strong with the three Zambian schools having close links with three schools from Manchester - Melland Specialist SEN College, Newall Green High School and Aspinal Primary School.

The six schools are currently receiving funding from the British Council to work on a Global Citizenship Project and this month six teachers from Zambia have been in Manchester to spend two weeks working in classrooms developing curriculum resources to promote global citizenship.

The visit culminated with a celebration event at Newall Green High.

Executive Member for Children's Services Coun Sheila Newman said: "This is a wonderful initative that gives schoolchildren from both Manchester and Zambia the chance to learn more about their respective cultures, while promoting global citizenship at the same time."

Apart from promoting Global Citizenship and Health education, the Manchester Schools and other key supporters of the partnership have raised funding to provide the Zambian schools with water bore holes, classroom furniture, a new classroom and a feeding programme for orphans and sewing machines to make school uniforms.

Head of Newall Green High School Neil Wilson said: "We are very proud of the links we have made with schools in Kabwe. The teachers and students of our school have really benefitted from the contact with our Zambian colleagues and we have learnt a great deal from each other."