In Zambia, a country where only 21 percent of girls and 27 percent of boys attend high school, student Patricia Nanyangwe discusses her family, her aspirations and the critical role of education in her community. With the help of the African Education Program, a nonprofit founded by Burnesser Julie-Anne Savarit-Cosenza, Patricia and hundreds of other Zambian students are getting the support they need to excel in high school and beyond.

Watch our interview with Patricia on her background, aspirations and the critical role of education in Zambia:

About This Series

Conversations in Development is a series that features interviews with fascinating people we have known or worked with over our 20+ years in the development space. Through these interviews, we’ll share fresh perspectives on a variety of issues, from agricultural development to global health to forestry, and hopefully spark a dialogue about the top development priorities in the world today.

This project is dedicated to our colleague Jeff Haskins, who passed away suddenly in July 2012. He was a “big ideas” guy, always pushing those he worked with to think about the world differently. We know he would be proud of this project.

Watch a video of ILRI’s Susan MacMillan’s reflections on Jeff.