Between Dust and Dreams: A New Beginning in Lilayi

September 26, 2025

By Young Africa International – Zambia | September 2025

In the early morning light, the sound of drums broke through the quiet streets of Lilayi. From Greg Lungu Road, a procession moved with purpose: placards waving, drums beating, uniforms pressed, shoes marching. It wasn’t just a match-past parade. It was a statement.

A new centre was about to open. But really, something much bigger was beginning.

“We are skilled, we are seen, we are rising.
In the heart of Lilayi, a flame has begun,
A fire of hope rising like the sun.
No more waiting for chances to fall,
We build our future. We stand tall.”

These words, spoken by a student poetry group, echoed across the grounds at the official launch of the Skills2Live Centre on 19 September 2025. Not just poetry. A declaration.

Before the centre, Lilayi was a place like so many others across Southern Africa alive with potential, but stifled by limitation.

Surrounded by high-density communities like Jack, Chawama, John Howard, Kamwala, and Chalala, Lilayi has long carried the burden of being overlooked. Nearly half of its population is under the age of 29, yet post-school opportunities are painfully scarce. For most young people here, formal education ends early. What follows is often a slow drift… into joblessness, into despair, into the hands of alcohol, drugs, and crime.

Nzilikao Bush Tembo, a graduate of the Skills2Live programme in Automotive Engineering, put it plainly:

“You see where I come from, boys my age are roaming the streets and junkies. But I am here: looking smart, presentable, and proud. All thanks to Skills2Live Zambia. On behalf of my parents, especially my mum, they said to say thank you.”

The road here hasn’t been smooth.

The vision for the Lilayi Centre wasn’t born out of ease. Originally, a different donor was to fund the construction of a new centre but that support fell through. What could have ended the dream instead sparked creativity and resilience.

In July 2024, the Leopold Bachmann Foundation (LBF) stepped forward. Their support transformed two 40-foot shipping containers into a fully functional Food Production Department. They renovated the existing Metal Fabrication block, furnished the Admin Centre, and installed toilets, classrooms, and branding brick by brick, container by container, Lilayi began to take shape.

By April 2025, Contribute Foundation amplified the vision, bringing clean energy and sustainability into the fold. They built the Solar and Electrical Department and installed solar panels not just as infrastructure, but as a symbol: Lilayi would be self-reliant. They planted trees. They trained staff in waste management. They began to green the future.

Then came Wilde Ganzen, whose contribution in August 2025 will launch a Digital Hub bridging the digital divide through training, community internet access, and awareness campaigns. The promise? That no young person be left behind in an increasingly digital world.

And at the heart of it all, Skills2Live supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands stepped in to fund the Wellness Centre, logistics, and rentals ensuring the centre was not just built, but built to last.

The Centre has already launched:

Metal Fabrication
Cosmetology
Food Production
Solar and Electrical
Digital Skills and ICT

Lilayi is a place where up to 1,500 young people per year can learn trades, unlock passions, and build futures.

But it’s more than that.

It’s a place where a mother can rest a little easier, knowing her child is not another statistic.
It’s a place where art and innovation collide.
It’s a place where youth are not just trained, but truly seen.

The launch is just the beginning.

The Zambia team dreams of expanding the centre to include mechanics, mobile training outreach, and even basketball courts and shaded hangout spaces. They envision a digitally inclusive, fully green campus—alive with trees, buzzing with solar power, echoing with laughter, learning, and life.

The community has offered unwavering support and open arms. Caregivers speak of relief. Youth speak of purpose. And every new course taught becomes another seed planted in Zambian soil. The Zambia team is working to access government funding through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), so that more students can attend, regardless of their background.