The Success Story of Kalaluka
By Annabel Mumba
Annabel Mumba is AYC’s Donor Relations Coordinator in Zambia. She is a Scholarship Fund recipient, high school graduate and current college student, and also one of our Success Stories.
Co-written by Pamela O’Brien, African Education Program’s Development Director, who is mentoring Annabel as she pursues a journalism degree.
Some people find inspiration for who they want to become when they grow up from a television show or a movie they watched as a child. As a teenager, Kalaluka spent time watching a criminal investigation series called 24 that was broadcast every day on the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation or ZNBC. From there, he made up his mind that he wanted to become an investigator. Thanks to a scholarship he received from Amos Youth Centre, Kalaluka obtained a degree in cyber security and has several certificates in cyber security investigation and digital forensics. And he believes that he has made young Kalaluka proud.
As the third child born into a family of six, Kalaluka is the only one to graduate. Growing up, he spent his childhood in a village in the Chisamba District where his parents relied on small vegetable farming to survive. When he wrote his seventh grade examination and passed, Kalaluka was forced to stay home for two years without going to school because his family could not afford the school fees and other necessities like books and uniforms.
When the family moved to Kafue they settled in Kalundu View which is among the poorest communities in the district. Kalaluka’s parents continued their business of growing vegetables and Kalaluka and his brother would often be found walking around their new community with bags of vegetables on their heads, selling them to the locals and neighbors.
Kalaluka’s parents managed to pay for two years of his junior secondary school, but after he wrote his grade nine examinations, an examination that allows him to go into senior secondary, his parents once again could not afford to pay the school fees. By this time, however, Kalaluka had become a regular attendee at the Amos Youth Centre and applied for sponsorship. With a sponsorship, Kalaluka was guaranteed a worry-free experience in high school and he only had his grades to worry about.
“Amos Youth Centre played a very important role in my academic life and personal development. Before I became a member I couldn’t picture how my life would be after secondary school. The moment I joined the program I could see myself successful, it is the anchor of my hope. Today, I am a successful leader and mentor. Amos Youth Centre did not just empower me with knowledge and a scholarship opportunity, but an opportunity to showcase my skills as a leader and guide the young ones at the center.”
Kalaluka is proud of his degree from the University College of Technology
Kalaluka found a safe place to study and learn in the center's library and classrooms. He enjoyed Music Club because he discovered his talent for singing. The Leadership Club played a major role in his leadership development and personal growth. To this day, Kalaluka is trusted by all when it comes to leading the students at the center.
Kalaluka enjoys leading the clubs and activities at Amos Youth Centre.
His gap year, the mandatory break between secondary school graduation and college or university, was special because Kalaluka “gave back” by leading a lot of clubs and students at Amos Youth Centre. He also participated in the College Prep Program and learned how to have a successful college experience.
In 2020, Kalaluka enrolled at the University College of Technology to study cyber security. While in college, Kalaluka continued to enroll in short courses that were offered freely to gain more knowledge in his field of study. He has certification from CSI Linux as a cyber-investigator, a certificate as a CyberOps associate from Cisco, a certificate in managing security risks from Google, and a certificate of completion from the International Information System Security Certification Consortium.
Kalaluka formed the Cyber Watch Club at his school, where he would share with the rest of his fellow students’ cyber security skills and conduct live demonstrations for them. The club has gained popularity and has passed several stages by the school board to be approved as an official club for all students studying cyber security at the university.
How is the future for Kalaluka now that he has graduated from university? He has been volunteering for the past 10 months at the Amos Youth Centre in the Monitoring & Evaluation Department, a decision he made while in his third year.
“When I was in my third year, I made the decision that I would volunteer at the Centre for more than 7 months while waiting for my graduation. I have volunteered here for 10 months now, and I have learned a lot while volunteering: I now know how to work together as a team, how to deal with people at work, how to socialize, and how to still focus at work. Skills that I think I would not have learned if I decided to stay home.”
Kalaluka often leads classes under the trees when the temperatures rise.
Kalaluka is in charge of monitoring college prep students and assisting them with the data entry for the tracking of all programs at the center. He also teaches mental health classes and provides child safeguarding training to all members of the program with a fellow volunteer.
For now, Kalaluka continues his volunteering at the center and enjoys being a graduate of cyber security while looking for employment in his chosen field—a fulfilling feeling!
“ Kalaluka is so fun and easy to work with. My work has eased with him around. He is eager to ask questions about things that he does not understand, a very rare trait. He is destined to achieve so much in life. ”
Kalaluka (left) has enjoyed being mentored by Teddy Sakala in the Monitoring & Evaluation Department.
