ED Project was created by Rick and Cathy Hatcher. For many years Rick and Cathy lead short term work teams to various locations around the world. In 2013, just when they thought about slowing down, God opened their eyes to the extreme educational needs in Zambia, Africa. Currently as retired educators they now spend several months each year working in rural communities training early learning teachers and providing them with school supplies for the children.
Zambia does have government sponsored schools. However, children in some communities have to walk miles to go to government schools. In addition, families must supply uniforms and school supplies. Many families don't have money for such things. Thus some children never do go to school, while others only attend a few years. Illiteracy is high. As retired teachers this need touched Rick and Cathy deeply. The desire to do something about this resulted in the creation of the ED (education) Project.
Rick and Cathy saw that some communities and churches were trying to educate these "left behind" children. However, the teachers had no training and no supplies. Some of the teachers had not even completed their own high school education. After, looking further into what they could do to help, Rick and Cathy returned to the United States and began collecting school supplies, children's books and teacher materials. In 2015 they returned to Zambia with these supplies and Cathy started a basic teacher strategies class. Each year since then they return with more supplies and teacher training classes are held. Additional supplies continue to be collected and shipped over.
The needs of these small schools are great: It is common to see children sitting on the floor or benches made out of two rocks and a board. So Rick started building and distributing classroom furniture. Often teachers, of these schools, are volunteers and don't get paid. Many stop teaching and try to find some other way to earn money. The struggle to keep trained teachers is a problem Cathy and other missionaries are working on. Children come to school hungry. Money is needed to start a CHE nutrition feeding program at each school.
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