Social Issue

In recent years, many developing countries have made enormous strides in improving child health and reducing under-five mortality.

However, the health needs of children over 5 years of age continue to be overlooked. Unfortunately, illness in school-aged children has a devastating impact on their health, learning, development and future.

Nearly 50% of the African population is under the age of 15. The future of the continent and its children depends on their ability to stay healthy, learn effectively and develop to their full potential.

Our Response

Starting in Zambia, Healthy Learners has developed a solution that connects school-aged children to primary care, expanding access to health services in schools.

They train and equip teachers to monitor student health, identify children who are unwell, provide basic medical care, and refer those who need further attention. These teachers, known as School Health Workers (SHWs), serve as a link between schools and local health facilities, making schools a key entry point into the healthcare system.

SHWs work in partnership with local government health facilities to deliver preventative medical interventions to school-aged children, such as biannual deworming, vitamin A supplementation, organizing students to receive immunizations from health professionals, and raising overall community awareness of health issues.

Thanks to the success of the model—and at the request of the government—Healthy Learners is expanding the program to all provincial capitals in Zambia as part of a national scale-up plan. This deep level of government adoption not only ensures long-term sustainability but also provides a rare example of how nonprofit organizations can successfully scale through government systems.

Netri has supported Healthy Learners since 2021 (a total of $90,900) to fund the construction of 24 school-based health rooms in Lusaka, Copperbelt, and Chipata, benefiting over 30,000 children.

For this next funding cycle, at Healthy Learners’ request, Netri has been asked to consider allocating its donation to unrestricted program support, as the government may increasingly cover the costs associated with constructing health rooms in the future.

Expected Social Impact

This partnership with the government puts Healthy Learners on track to reach 1.5 million children nationwide by 2026—nearly doubling its current scale.

An independent study conducted in 2019 by researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found the following:

• 38% reduction in illness
• 48% increase in deworming and Vitamin A supplementation
• 52% reduction in the likelihood of stunting
• 22% increase in students’ knowledge of key health topics

Additionally, surveys of teachers, parents, and students indicate that the program has reduced student absenteeism by an estimated 10%.

A new evaluation is currently underway, involving 13,500 students across 225 schools, to continue measuring the program’s impact.