Globally, persons with intellectual disabilities (IDs) are amongst the groups most excluded from the labour market. In Zambia, they often lack access to education and adequate support, which seriously limits their chances to obtain meaningful employment as adults. Community attitudes are also one of the greatest barrier to participation, involving stigma and low expectations of the person’s ability to participate and contribute. However, the conviction that people with IDs do not have the capacity to work in regular employment settings was challenged as far back as the late 1960 by various researchers.

The Sunshine Zambia Project is a social enterprise under the Sani Foundation that is working to prepare young adults with intellectual disabilities for life after school. The project teaches and supports members to create and sell products using recycled materials, as well as, receive training that will prepare them for employment on the open job market. The project also profiles each member’s needs, identify their aspirations, talents and skills, and beyond the training, find short term internships for members to have an experience of the employment world before accessing a permanent job or setting up a business concern.

The Sunshine Zambia project produce various products including but not limited to craft made from wine bottles, plastic bottle, metal cans, cereal boxes as well as pet biscuits, vegetables and herbs. Our members are trained in different trade skills (production: craft-making, cooking, gardening, etc. and selling: weighing products, packaging, counting change, etc.). They rotate between different tasks in order to facilitate the identification of each member’s work preferences and career aspirations.

The project gives its members a sense of identity, responsibility and independence, aiding them to experience a real job setting while operating within an environment which is not only safe but also cultivates requisite skills for success. By purchasing our products, customers are not only obtaining quality products at competitive prices but they are also playing an enormous role in supporting the Sunshine Zambia Project’s long-term plan of providing employment to persons with intellectual disabilities.

The Problem Our Solution

our impact

our products

SPREAD THE WORDabout intellectual disability and the Sunshine Zambia project – let’s break the barriers caused by the lack of knowledge.

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Please make cheques payable to:The Sani FoundationInvestrust Bank PlcManda Hill BranchAccount no. 16-15-1-0241742-018

Contact us:

+260 977 797 405sunshine@sanifoundation.org

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Sunshine Zambia Project