By Pat Kelly

Here in the slums of Ibex Hill, Kalikiliki and Mtendere, where “Poverty” is your middle name and “no way out” rides in your back pocket, there is a place.

It’s a place where discipline and respect abound, where children summon all they can to come to school and work diligently for nearly six hours on empty stomachs.

Teachers are miracle workers creating something out of virtually nothing. They carry to each class some tattered textbooks, a piece of chalk and a plan.

From that plan, fires are ignited and sparks fly, carrying off into the air children’s wishes for a career, repayment to families for their support and service to others in Zambia. That’s the focus of Shine Zambia Reading academy- allowing impoverished youngsters to shine to their best ability.