Star Top Community School

Star Top Community School was founded by Mercy and Isaac Sakala in Ng'ombe, an underserved settlement in Lusaka, after first running as a tuition centre for children struggling at school. Its mission is to provide affordable, high-quality primary education to children who might otherwise fall through the gaps of an overcrowded system. Alongside lessons, the school offers an eight-hour day, a free daily meal and moral as well as academic teaching, and encourages students to go on to secondary school.

Responsibilities & Ideal Background

Scholars teach across a range of subjects and age groups, helping to ease understaffing. Day to day, this involves lesson planning, teaching, marking and pastoral care. Past scholars have also taught music, dance, yoga, storytelling and first aid, prepared students for exams and created grammar resources and promotional videos for the school. Scholars are given a lot of responsibility for a large number of children, and the work is demanding but deeply rewarding.

A good fit is someone patient, positive and service-minded, who is happy to adapt to the school's needs rather than arriving with fixed plans. Teaching experience helps, but any experience with children is valuable. Scholars live with the Sakala family on the school site and are welcomed as part of the family. For safety reasons, there is little opportunity to walk around the compound or sightsee independently, so it helps to plan placement dates alongside other scholars.

LiA Champions

Curious about this project but not sure where to start? Our LiA Champions can share candid insights from teaching at Star Top: what the classroom is like, how to prepare and what life with the Sakala family involves.

• Cothney Lasaracina (University of Leeds)
  Contact via the Laidlaw Scholars Network:
• View profile
• Rebecca Cole (Cornell University)
  Email: rmc343@cornell.edu · Phone: +1 512 591 5331
  View profile
• Grace Stephens-Spada (University of St Andrews)
  Email: gracestephensspada@icloud.com · Phone: +44 7380 289742
  View profile
• Henry Farmer (University of St Andrews)
  Email: hf70@st-andrews.ac.uk · Phone: +44 7577 759955
  View profile

Organisation Contact

Mercy Mbewe Sakala, Headteacher
Email: mercymsakala@gmail.com