According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, Joseph Mizzi, who is the president of the successful building conglomerate Sciame Construction, has undertaken a number of volunteer development projects to build schools in rural Zambia.
This week, he is traveling to Chipakata Village in Zambia for the groundbreaking of Chipakata Children’s Academy, the first project of his 14+ Foundation.
How Mr. Mizzi came to taking on the substantial work of building an academy in Zambia is a story of luck. He was at a fundraiser for a charity doing work in Africa and became interested. He went to Zambia by himself in October 2011.
Mr. Mizzi found himself in a rural community at a school. He admits that the trip could have been a one-time thing and he wasn’t setting out to start a charity. “I guess I was looking for something. I’m not sure,” says Mr. Mizzi, 46 years old.
The inspiration came when “looking at very basic schools in a very bad state and then seeing children who are very poor,” says Mr. Mizzi. “But they are wearing a shirt and a tie and walking 4 miles to school to get an education. The moment for me was looking at this and saying, ‘I can do this.’”
So far he’s got a registered charity and a business plan. He is fundraising toward a $1 million goal for the first academy, reaching about $150,000 so far. A recent dinner raised some $75,000 and he has contributed some $25,000 personally.
The community is clearing land for a road to the school’s construction site, which is some 15 miles from a paved road.
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