From Confidence to Capability: The Alumni Curriculum in Action

A Seed That Needed More

“We watch Grey’s Anatomy!”

That was the response I received the first time I met with four young women from Believe Club in Livingstone, Zambia when I asked: “How did you decide you wanted to be a nurse?” Little did Believe Club Mentor Racheal Ng’andu and I know that what we were working with — what would become a “pilot” alumni club — was also a seed planted by GSGC Partner and mentor Nyika Muyambo that simply needed more intentional support to grow.

What quickly became clear was that while the club model was building confidence, aspiration, and foundational skills, many young people were becoming stuck at the transition point after secondary school. They were not yet ready to enter the world of work, lacking practical skills and exposure, and at the same time needed more guidance to access further education or training. There was a gap between potential and next steps — and that gap needed to be filled.

In many ways, this moment brought something into focus: the need to extend mentorship beyond school, and to more intentionally support what comes next.

Designing What Comes Next

Serendipitously, this early experiment with Racheal’s club members aligned with Nyika’s long-held vision of developing a program to support youth beyond school. Our conversations coalesced into a shared plan, shaped by both of our experiences: mine as an educator, career counsellor, and programme designer, and Nyika’s deep knowledge of the local context, mentors, and young people in Zimbabwe and Zambia.

In August 2024, a planning team came together at Furusa’s Guest House: Prosper Siphambili and Mercy Sibanda from Victoria Falls, Racheal Ng’andu from Livingstone, Nyika, and myself as facilitator. Over three days, the group worked with energy and focus to define what this next level of support could look like.

By the end, a clear structure had emerged, built around four core areas:

• Volunteer projects focused on environment and community

• Counseling to provide social and emotional support

• Support with applications and access to scholarships for vocational training, college, or university

• Workshops covering career planning, digital literacy, financial literacy, and professionalism — all shaped by feedback from club members themselves

Strengthening and Aligning the Curriculum

The work continued into 2025, with the addition of mentors Ndelende Ncube from Tikobane and Gloria Mubita from Believe Girls Club. The curriculum evolved based on what had been learned, with stronger alignment between club-level learning, alumni-level skills, and specialized pathways.

Importantly, the model began to connect learning with real-world exposure. Partnerships with local businesses and industry created opportunities for alumni to shadow careers, attend guest sessions, and participate in mock interviews — bringing the curriculum to life in practical ways.

What Success Looks Like

To date, alumni clubs across Zambia and Zimbabwe have reached more than 106 young people. The outcomes are not abstract — they are visible in the lives of the youth themselves.

Charity from Uluthanda Alumni in Livingstone, undeterred by initial university rejection letters, is now in her third year studying Public Administration and achieving strong marks. Marabel from iThuba in Victoria Falls, determined to build her digital skills before starting university, became so proficient in PowerPoint that she was appointed class leader because she was “the only student who knew PowerPoint.”

Mentors also speak to more subtle, but equally powerful, shifts. As Ndelende from Tikobane shared:

“One day I was in a shop, some of the girls from the alumni club saw me and said, ‘come with us, we want to take you for a drink.’ So, I went and they bought me, not just any drink, but a special fruit drink. What was special was that they realised their independence. They didn’t have to rely on a man for money. They had their own money they had earned.”

Building Skills for the Future

Does the economy influence what is possible for young people in Zimbabwe and Zambia? Absolutely. But what this work has shown is that when young people are equipped with practical skills — digital literacy, professionalism, financial understanding, and the ability to navigate opportunities — they are better able to move forward with confidence and direction.

The alumni curriculum is not just an extension of the club model. It is a deliberate step towards equipping young people with the skills they need to participate more fully in their economies, to make informed choices about their futures, and to build lives with greater independence and purpose.