PhD candidate encourages girls in Zambia to devise sustainable solutions to local problems

From crafting lamps out of e-waste to transforming chicken manure into biofuel and generating electricity from bicycles, 120 high school girls gathered at Zambia's Copperbelt University last summer to present innovative solutions to their communities’ most pressing environmental challenges. 

Their projects – part of the ZAMWILL Girls Hackathon 2024 – showcased not just technical ingenuity but a deep commitment to Ubuntu, a spirit of unity and collective responsibility.

The unique event was the brainchild of Racheal Kalaba, a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Born and raised in Copperbelt province, she wanted to equip Zambian girls with the skills to tackle 21^st-century challenges and local issues.

“The hackathon is about using what you have,” she says of the event organized by ZAMWILL (Zambia Women Institute of Leadership and Learning), a women-led NGO that she founded. “Applying technology to solve problems in ways that are local and global, sustainable and scalable.”

She got the idea for the hackathon during the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted the technological divide between Africa and the rest of the world. While countries like Canada quickly adapted to virtual learning, Kalaba says she saw how Zambia faced prolonged school closures due to a lack of technological infrastructure.

“The isolation of the continent didn’t sit well with me,” she says.

Recognizing that Africa's future hinged on technical and leadership skills, Kalaba was determined to empower young women in Zambia to embrace that change. The hackathon was the culmination of a broader initiative that included workshops on coding, design thinking, problem-solving and leadership development.

The girls, from 10 secondary schools across two Copperbelt districts, gained skills to identify and address key community issues such as agriculture, clean energy and health with tech-driven solutions. They also developed critical leadership qualities that stemmed from increased confidence, collaboration and decision-making – all necessary ingredients to drive innovation and change in their communities.

Overall, the initiative was framed by the African philosophy of Ubuntu, which emphasizes interconnectedness and collective responsibility.

“Ubuntu teaches that an individual’s well-being is tied to the well-being of others,” explains Kalaba. “This initiative was about fostering a collective sense of collaboration and responsibility, where each girl’s achievements contribute to the broader well-being of her community.”

Kalaba’s doctoral research in OISE’s department of leadership, higher and adult education explores Zambian women’s leadership through Ubuntu and African feminist lenses. She says that by empowering these girls to co-create solutions, the initiative is nurturing a new generation of leaders who understand that progress isn’t an individual pursuit, but rather a collective effort.

With limited funding and resources, the girls were encouraged to be creative use whatever materials were available. For example, one group repurposed cardboard and old cell phone batteries to create lamps to address the region’s frequent power outages. Another group adapted a bicycle to generate clean energy.

“They all impressed me so much,” Kalaba says. “These are 16-year-olds from diverse backgrounds – many are from low-income mining communities. They aren’t engineers or specialists. They didn’t have fancy equipment or funding, but they used what they had to solve real problems.

“These projects show that, even with limited resources, these girls can create impactful, sustainable solutions. Now, imagine if they had the proper funding and access to materials – what could they achieve?”

The hackathon’s impact extended beyond the solutions the girls devised. For one young girl from Kansenshi Secondary School, the experience reshaped her understanding of what she could accomplish.

“I never imagined I could solve a real problem in my community,” she said. “This experience has changed my perspective on what’s possible.”

Mweene Himwiinga of Copperbelt University, the event’s chief judge, praised the transformative environment Kalaba created.

“These innovations were a reflection of the supportive environment Racheal cultivated where young girls were empowered to think boldly and act decisively,” says Himwiinga, co-founder of Eltween Solutions, a sustainable waste management solutions consultancy. “[Racheal’s] ability to nurture this spirit of resilience was pivotal in the transformative outcomes we witnessed.

“[The girls’] ability to reimagine local challenges through technology and collaboration was proof of the power of investing in the next generation of environmental leaders. These young innovators are planting the seeds of change, and it is up to us to nurture them as they grow into transformative forces for their communities and beyond.”

Kalaba says she is eager to expand the initiative, with plans to include boys in future cohorts and extend the program to other regions.

“With the right support, young people hold the key to creating a sustainable future. The proof of concept is here.”