FORUM for African Women Educationalists of Zambia (FAWEZA) has provided two hundred laptops valued at K5.5 million to 200 students participating in the Mastercard Foundation Bursary Support Programme nationwide.

FAWEZA National Chairperson, Enala Mwesa, says the organisation plans to support eight hundred students enrolled in ten Technical Education, Vocational, and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA) Institutions across Zambia by 2030.

Speaking at a handover ceremony in Lusaka, Ms Mwesa noted that sixty percent of the programme’s beneficiaries are female, while forty percent are male.

She mentioned that this aligns with this year’s theme for the International Day of Education which is dubbed “Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Education”.

Ms Mwesa also highlighted that the programme is designed to enhance students’ learning experiences in the digital age and urged recipients to maintain the laptops and use them to further their education.

Meanwhile, FAWEZA Executive Director, Costern Kanchele, revealed that the organisation intends to provide bursaries to one thousand, five hundred and fifty students attending fifty six educational institutions by 2030.

“35 of these are TEVETA institutions while 21 are Universities,” he stated.

He explained that this effort forms part of the Mastercard Foundation’s seven-year Second Chance Pathway programme, which seeks to improve access to tertiary education for disadvantaged young women and men.

Mr Kanchele called on Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to join in supporting the mission.