From Classrooms to Roads: How Ordinary Citizens are Transforming Zambia and Kenya

In rural Zambia, parents are no longer silent spectators—they are holding school leaders accountable, tracking budgets, and even building school buildings with their own hands. Meanwhile, in Kenya, a Japanese road repair technique isn't just fixing potholes— it is launching business, keeping kids in school, and turning unemployed youth into entrepreneurs.

Two countries. Two very different challenges. But one powerful truth: when communities take charge, real change happens.

With backing from the Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) and the World Bank, these initiatives are proving that grassroots action paired with smart investments result in lasting impact.

Zambia: From watchdogs to changemakers, parents lead the way in education reform

In Zambia’s remote districts, a quiet but powerful transformation is unfolding. Parents and community members are advocating to ensure that children not only attend school—but thrive there. They are monitoring expenditures, reducing absenteeism, and even pooling their own resources to fund improvements.

The secret? The Voice and Accountability: Community Empowerment for Improved Local Service Delivery project that armed more than 84,000 citizens—half of them women—with skills in social accountability tools such as community scorecards and public expenditure tracking.

With this training, community social accountability committees are tracking school grants and budgets, monitoring textbook and desk deliveries, reducing teacher and learner absenteeism, and even overseeing school construction projects. 

“School facilities and resources have improved with the enhanced community engagement,” says William Banda, Head Teacher, Tafera Dziko Primary School. “There are three toilets that were built through community participation, and we have more than 300 desks. As a school, we have benefited so much.”

The results of this community engagement are tangible:

• School enrollment is up—more kids, especially girls, are staying in class.
• Teen pregnancies are down—safer schools mean fewer dropouts.
• Communities stepping up—from playgrounds to savings groups, locals are organizing.

Reduced absenteeism among both students and teachers, increased enrollment, and even a drop in teenage pregnancies, these improvements stem from enhanced teacher accountability, stronger communication between parents and schools, and a growing community understanding of the importance of keeping children—especially girls—in school.

Yet the benefits extend beyond the education sector. Community ownership is encouraging wider civic engagement and empowering women in meaningful ways. In Kafunka, for instance, women from the social accountability committee established a savings group that funds community initiatives and strengthens the long-term sustainability of the committee’s work. Communities have gone so far as to construct playgrounds and dormitories using their own resources—efforts that have helped improve safety, reduce early pregnancies, and support regular school attendance.

Kenya: An ancient Japanese technology is paving the way forward, one dirt road at a time

In Meru, Kenya, rainy seasons mean impassible roads, stranded farmers, and kids missing school. Poor road conditions have long hindered progress, isolating communities from essential services and economic opportunities. But now, a low-cost, ancient Japanese innovation called “Do-Nou”—soil-packed bags that reinforce roads—is turning things around.

Through the Improved Livelihood Opportunities and Accessibility for Underserved Urban Communities project, implemented by Japanese NGO Community Road Empowerment (CORE), residents are being trained in Do-nou, a low-cost, labor-based technique to reinforce roads.

The project has rehabilitated 26 kilometers of local access roads, making over 60 kilometers of routes passable for more than 60,000 people, surpassing the initial target of 50 kilometers. This has dramatically improved access to markets, schools, and health facilities for more than 63,000 people, with 63% now reporting better access to basic services.

For local residents like Faith Karimi, the transformation has been personal.

"This road up ahead used to be very bad,” she recalled. “We couldn’t even walk on it. When it rained, it would become slippery, with hills and valleys. We weren’t able to move forward. But now, you have built us a road. It’s now okay, and we are very thankful.”

The impact on the community has been revitalizing:

• Access has improved—passable roads now connect over 63,000 residents to markets, schools, and health facilities.
• Employment is up—for women and youth, new businesses and training opportunities are translating into more jobs.
• School attendance is rising—more children are attending school regularly, even during rainy season.

Thanks to this project, 165 new businesses have sprung up along the roads, and over 400 trainees have launched small enterprises, from motorbike taxis to livestock ventures. Improved roads have cut travel time, with 37% of residents now reaching essential services and the Meru Bypass in under 15 minutes. School attendance has risen, particularly in the rainy season, and security has improved through the engagement of at-risk youth.

Quite notably, the initiative has also trained 1,250 community members, of which 595 are women, and formed over 50 micro and small enterprises, well exceeding initial targets and creating opportunity.

This project is a clear example of how Japanese support and World Bank expertise can complement each other— creating sustainable, locally-driven solutions that leave a lasting impact.

Shared Lessons: Local solutions, global support

While the Zambian and Kenyan projects tackle different development challenges, both demonstrate the power of citizen engagement. In both countries, JSDF-supported interventions have complemented larger International Development Association (IDA) operations. While IDA, the World Bank’s fund for the lowest income countries, provided the funding for school buildings and road bypasses, JSDF investments helped ensure that infrastructure investments translate into lasting, inclusive results.

In Kenya, the IDA-financed Meru Bypass Project created a key transport corridor. The JSDF-supported initiative bridged the gap to vulnerable communities by improving local access roads and helping residents connect to the larger transport network.

In Zambia, some of the JSDF-supported activities are being rolled out in schools built with support from the Zambia Education Enhancement Project. While IDA investments provide the infrastructure and supplies, the support from JSDF has strengthened the “demand side”—promoting transparency, participation, and accountability so that school infrastructure translates into improved learning outcomes.

The Bigger Lesson: Development done “with” not “for”

The experiences of Zambia and Kenya underscore the importance of community engagement in driving sustainable development outcomes. But the lesson extends beyond Zambia or Kenya. It is a blueprint for the future of aid:

• Invest in people, not just concrete.
• Trust—but verify—in communities to spend wisely. They have a deep understanding of what will work in their community. Enable them to make the needed changes.
• Measure success not in dollars spent, but in lives changed.

One beneficiary in Meru summed it up very eloquently that the road wasn’t built for them, but with them, equipping them with the tools to go forward.

With support from the Japan Social Development Fund and the World Bank, these projects are proving that when development is grounded in community ownership and inclusive participation, it is not only more effective—it is more resilient and enduring.