It’s the beginning of the year, people have made their resolutions and are hoping the year will be better than 2013 or it will be as good as 2013. But the grade 8 pupils who have just collected their grade 7 exam results and passed surely can’t wait for schools to open.

Making the year brighter, they have full sponsorship from Academic Work of Sweden.  In Zambia the pupils have to qualify to go from grade 7 to grade 8.  Some pupils don’t make it and will have to start afresh from grade 6. And from grade 9 to grade 10 it’s even more difficult to qualify.

For Response Network staff, holiday is over and back for work with the sponsorship programme. 105 girls on the sponsorship programme have submitted their acceptance letters to various Basic schools and high schools. These girls came with their guardians to the Response Network office to collect their school requirements. 5 of the girls obtained very good marks and qualified to one of the best schools in Livingstone (St. Mary’s Secondary School) .The girls were supplied with school fees, uniforms, shoes, bags, socks, books, mathematical sets and pens. For these girls this is surely a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!