Ceelelo School is our primary school in the sub-rural district of Chilanga outside Lusaka, Zambia. Ceelelo (pronounced "chay-lay-lo") is a native Tongan word that is roughly translated as "the right of everyone to live fully with access to education and information.

Ceelelo serves the vulnerable children of the local Linda compound using our digital Little Larks Well-Being Curriculum, as well as a digital academic curriculum that meets all local standards and learning outcomes, under the facilitation of teachers trained as Lark’s Song Educational Coaches.

Ceelelo School was started in partnership with God’s House Ministries and launched in January 2017 and became a self-sustaining school in January 2019. Check out this video to hear Executive Director, Megan Gilmore tell the whole story:

What makes Ceelelo unique?

Here’s how we did it. First, understand that there are two pervasive barriers to education in the developing world: 1) the lack of access to educational materials and curriculum and 2) the lack of qualified teachers to meet the demand of students.

We creatively overcame these barriers by setting up WiFi connection options so children and teachers could access information and educational materials that are current, relevant and accurate, and we trained 37 teachers and school administrators in the area as educational coaches, rather than content delivery experts. This helped us understand their culture and needs, and respectfully partner toward their fulfillment and flourishing in a way that would work for them.

We believe that this approach accessed the strength and creativity present in the uniqueness of individuals and diversity in culture, it created a sustainable and replicable model that can meet the needs of the educational crisis in the developing world, and developed students as creative problem-solvers and curious, critical thinkers that can lead in implementing innovative solutions to meet the needs of the complex challenges within their communities.

The Little Larks Well-Being program is now being used in many formats across the world. Let us know how we can partner with you to co-create the best path toward increasing well-being for the children in your life.

For their partnership and generosity, a Special thanks to: