Our Story
The Twaabane Creative Centre is in Simonga village – about 18km away from Livingstone in Southern Zambia. The centre sits within six hectares of land which was originally gifted to Tongabezi Trust School by Tongabezi Lodge.
The idea has been long in the making. As Tongabezi Trust School grew, it became clear that there was a need to nurture the students and community members whose skills and interests aligned with practical or creative employment prospects, and the idea to develop a vocational pathway was born.
As our sister project, Tongabezi Trust School grew, it became clear that there was a need to nurture the students and community members whose skills and interests aligned with practical or creative employment prospects. In 2017, friends of the Tongabezi Trust School came together and fundraisedfor the building of the first skills unit (The Textile Studio). This first stage was generously supported by the Laffan, McCullagh, Hauck and O'Dwyer families, the PD Foundation, the Muir Foundation and the Beck Foundation. The building was completed in 2019, and during the Covid-19 pandemic it was used for food distribution. Thereafter, to cater to food security needs beyond the pandemic, a community garden was established.
Our Mission
To promote social and economic development in Simonga by improving access to income generating opportunities through the provision of free, high quality skills training and vocational employment pathways in the artisan sector.
Our Vision
Our vision for the Twaabane Creative Centre is to become a self-sufficient and community-integrated creative hub.
Issue
In Simonga and Sinde villages, a Livelihood Survey (ByLifeConnected, 2021) revealed that the average employment rate for women was 36 per cent, compared to 58 per cent for men. In addition, employment was inconsistent and included casual work on farms, in local market stalls, or running personal businesses. This is underpinned by two key issues:
Low educational attainment and literacy levels -most of the women who were interviewed had dropped out of school in 7th grade (at age 13)
Lack of access to skilled vocational employment pathways –the closest training centre is 18 km away
Provincially, there is low uptake of vocational trade courses. Only 18 per cent of vocational examinations taken in the Southern province were associated with a trade. Additionally, many of the highly-skilled artisans and artisan companies are found in Lusaka. This has resulted in a skills gap and created high demand for qualified trades people and artisans in the Southern province.
Project Rationale
The artisanal sector has the potential to make a powerful impact on the livelihoods of many Zambians, yet it is currently under-utilized. With the increasing demand for ethically sourced and handmade products, this sector is in a unique position to become a serious global player.Our purpose is to contribute toward this demand and promote social and economic development in Simonga by improving access to income generating opportunitiesand education. Twaabane Creative Centre will do this through the provision offree, high quality skills training,vocational employment pathways in the artisan sector, and access to adult literacy classes