Monthly News & Updates

October 2025

Greetings!

We’ve been receiving so many powerful stories from across our clubs and communities that we’ve decided it’s time to share them more often—so welcome to the very first edition of our re-established monthly newsletter.


This past month, Mentor Nyika Muyambo and I visited clubs in the Lower Zambezi and Mfuwe, Zambia—an especially meaningful journey for him, ten years after starting the very first boys’ club there. In Murugamena, boys spoke with courage about living alongside elephants after the community lost a member to a trampling. In Mfuwe, I was inspired by a poetry session where young people proudly shared their voices. One boy even showed me his Creative Expressions certificate, carried carefully in his backpack—a symbol of pride and possibility. The experience moved me so deeply that I wrote my own poem reflecting on what we witnessed—you can read it in our blog below.


In this newsletter, we’re also sharing the exciting progress of the new Youth Mentorship Center in Zambia and Charity’s journey—from the quietest girl in her club to a young leader whose poetry now inspires others.


We’re deeply thankful for you—our donors and friends—whose support makes this work real. Every story we share carries your imprint, reflecting the hope and opportunities you’ve helped create. We hope these updates give you the same sense of encouragement and inspiration we feel each day.


This month, that spirit is especially alive in our clubs through the Creative Expressions Contest. The young people are using their voices with courage and creativity, and your vote helps amplify them even further. Voting has been extended until 12 October—please cast your vote and invite friends and family to join in lifting up these voices.


With appreciation and gratitude,

This month, Nyika Muyambo and Tara Casey travelled together to the Lower Zambezi and Mfuwe in Zambia, to revisit the roots of the very first boys’ club, started ten years ago. What they found was both moving and inspiring.

In the Lower Zambezi, young boys spoke not only about gender equality but also about living in harmony with elephants and tackling human–wildlife conflict—big issues for their communities. In Mfuwe, they reconnected with alumni like Mjose, once a boy who argued that girls were “made for boys,” now transformed into a photographer and strong advocate for girl empowerment. They also witnessed today’s boys and girls sharing their own poems—raw, courageous, and hopeful—reminders of how mentorship unlocks voices and changes lives.

Together, Nyika and Tara wrote a collective blog to share their reflections from the journey—a story of seeds planted, lives transformed, and the hope that continues to grow.

In just four months since its opening, the Youth Mentorship Center (YMC) in Livingstone, Zambia has blossomed into a vibrant hub of creativity, learning, and community!

Charity Chipopola was the girl who stayed in her room, invisible to the world, quiet even among friends. “I used to ask myself, ‘What will we even talk about at the girls club?’” she recalls. Growing up in Livingstone, Zambia, with a single mother and no siblings, she often felt alone. Life was simple but hard, and opportunities felt out of reach—until she joined the Believe Girls Club in 2019.

Charity is one of GSGC's alumni who is now studying Studying Public administration at Lusaka University.

Now in its seventh year, this is one of the most powerful ways our clubs showcase youth creativity and confidence. From poems to performances, the entries are bursting with talent and heart—proof of the incredible mentorship happening across our network.

Thank you to everyone who has already cast their vote—you are helping lift youth voices and shine a light on their creativity. We are also deeply grateful to our panel of judges, who bring wisdom, care, and encouragement to this process each year.

We’ve extended voting to 12 Oct, there’s still time! Please cast your vote and encourage your friends and networks to join in. Every vote is a show of support for our young people and the mentors who guide them.

In remembering Dr. Jane Goodall and the extraordinary impact she had on our awareness of the natural world, we leave you with her words: