In this blog, we catch up with Maureen, a student at University at Albany in New York who is an alumni of AYC’s Learning & Leadership Center and recipient of the SUNY Schenectady's Joan R. Dembinski '10 Study Abroad Scholarship, thanks to a partnership between the African Education Program and SUNY Schenectady County Community College.

Ten years ago, when Barbara first walked through the doors of the Amos Youth Centre (AYC), she had just one goal in mind: to find a safe place to spend time after school. That simple decision became the foundation to her fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a nurse. Today, Barbara is a Registered Public Health Nurse and a proud graduate of Levy Mwanawasa Medical University, thanks to the College Scholarship Fund at AYC’s Learning & Leadership Centre in Kafue, Zambia.

Violet Mukumbwa embodies the power of giving back. As the Entrepreneurship Manager at the Amos Youth Centre (AYC), she has successfully trained 10 cohorts and empowered over 270 women through the Women’s Business Training. Violet’s connection to AYC is deeply personal: she is a successful alumna who returned home. Today, she is not only a key leader at the Learning & Leadership Center but also a university student pursuing a Bachelor of Administration at the University of Zambia. Her journey, from a shy student to a confident manager, is a testament to the transformative environment AYC creates.

Amos Youth Centre alumni, John, has a clear vision for how to help shape a more food-secure future for the youth and families of Kafue. This September, after his final exams at the Copperbelt University, John will return to the Amos Youth Centre to lead work at Kafue’s first Urban Farming & Permaculture Learning Space - The Kia Garden.