Historically, global health interventions have focused on the health of children under five, almost always ignoring the needs of millions of school-aged children. These children remain highly exposed to preventable and treatable illnesses during a period of life that is critical for learning and development.
Healthy Learners trains teachers as school health workers, using existing infrastructure to bring a scalable system of health care screening to children in schools. The organization partners with the government to train five to ten teachers per school as school health workers who monitor student health, perform basic first aid, provide preventative care, and refer severe cases to a clinic. Their innovative model improves health and academic outcomes for nearly one million children.
School-aged children face substantial health-related challenges during a period of life that is critical for learning and development.
Ignicious Bulongo (left) and Lonnie Hackett (right) met in 2013, and—driven to address the impact of preventable childhood illness on learning and development—co-founded Healthy Learners.
By bringing health services inside schools, Healthy Learners improves both health and educational outcomes for students.
Healthy Learners works with 600 schools and serves more than 980,000 children across eight of Zambia’s ten provinces.
Healthy Learners is building a future where schools can support the overall health of children, resulting in a healthier, better-educated generation of young people and future leaders.
After spending the last five years developing and refining a successful model, Healthy Learners is working with the Zambian Ministries of Health and Education to scale the model throughout the country. By 2028, Healthy Learners aims to reach 2.5 million children, or 70 percent of the primary school population.
CEO and Co-Founder, Healthy Learners
Co-Founder and Vice President of Programs, Healthy Learners
Lonnie Hackett, MSc. CEO & Cofounder Lonnie is a public health specialist and social entrepreneur. He has been recognized as a Truman Scholar, Rainer Arnhold Fellow, and a member of Forbes 30 Under 30. Lonnie has a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from Bowdoin College and a MSc. in International Health and Tropical Medicine from the University of Oxford. Ignicious Bulongo VP, Programs & Cofounder Ignicious spent the first 15 years of his career with the Zambian Ministry of Health, most recently as director of the Ng'ombe Health Facility. Ignicious holds degrees in hospital management and clinical medicine. He received an advanced diploma in Participatory Learning Methods in Japan through sponsorship by JICA.
