The extraordinary journey of Ms. Christine Kalizya, from the banks of the lower Zambezi River to the seat of an excavator at Zambeef Chiawa Farms. 

“The skills I gained at Kitwe Vocational Training Centre (KVTC) did not just give me a job; they gave me a future. I can now support my family and stand on my own feet. I refused to let my story end in my village.” 

— Ms. Christine Kalizya, Heavy Equipment Operator, Zambeef Chiawa Farms 

On the banks of the lower Zambezi River, where the water moves slowly and life has changed little for generations, sits Mugurameno Village in Chiawa Game Management Area. It is a community of deep traditions, warm people, and hard circumstances, a place where the river provides, but rarely asks what a young woman dreams of becoming. 

Christine Kalizya was born and raised there. Like most girls in traditional, remote communities along the Zambezi, the path laid out before her was narrow and familiar: school until it became inconvenient, then the rhythms of village life. 

For Christine, the first serious life challenge arrived early, too early. In Grade Nine, still a teenager, Christine fell pregnant. In many communities like hers, that would have been the end of her path in education and, therefore toward becoming an independent person. Many girls in her position never return to the classroom. 

But Christine refused to stop pursuing her dreams. Carrying the weight of new motherhood and the quiet judgment that often comes with it in conservative communities, she continued her education through pregnancy. After giving birth, she returned to school, not because it was easy, but because she understood that education was the only door that would open wide enough for both her and her child. 

She completed Grade 12, a remarkable achievement under such circumstances. But Christine was not finished. 

In 2024, Christine made a bold and unconventional decision. She enrolled at Kitwe Vocational Training Centre (KVTC) to study Heavy Equipment Operations, specializing in Excavator Operations.

For a young woman from a rural Zambezi community, this was far from a conventional path. Excavators and earthmoving machines belong to a world traditionally dominated by men. Women remain significantly underrepresented in heavy equipment operations across Zambia and the wider construction, mining and agricultural sectors. 

But Christine had stopped following convention long before. At KVTC, she found more than a training program. She found a structured and supportive environment that equipped her with technical competence, safety discipline, and the confidence to operate complex machinery. 

Through hands-on training and industry-standard instruction, she learned how to safely operate excavators and gained exposure to loader operations, skills that are essential in sectors such as construction, agriculture, and mining. 

Initiatives such as the at KVTC are designed to equip young Zambians with demand-driven skills that meet the needs of industry. The initiative, supported by the Government of Zambia, the Government of Japan, Hitachi Construction Machinery, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), aims to expand employment opportunities for youth by providing modern equipment, professional instruction, and industry-aligned training. 

Since its inception, the training program has enrolled 391 young people, including 113 women, and has produced 381 certified heavy equipment operators. Notably, women account for around 30% of graduates, a significant milestone in a sector traditionally dominated by men. 

For Christine, one of the young people enrolled in the program, this opportunity became a turning point. 

After completing her course, Christine did what many graduates fear most: she entered the job market. The heavy equipment industry does not always welcome young women as operators, but Zambeef Chiawa Farms, one of Zambia’s largest agricultural operations covering approximately 8,000 hectares in Kafue District gave her a chance.

Today, Christine operates an excavator responsible for land clearing, drainage works, and infrastructure maintenance across the vast farm. Her work supports agricultural production that feeds thousands of households across the country. 

Within six months of employment, Christine had not only proven herself as a skilled excavator operator, but she also earned the opportunity to operate a Tractor Loader Backhoe (TLB). 

Her ability to transition smoothly between the two machines impressed the farm’s management. 

“Ms. Kalizya is highly teachable, respectful, disciplined, and hardworking. KVTC produces graduates who are adaptable, safety-conscious, and capable of integrating into demanding environments. Their graduates handle machinery with minimal supervision and that is exactly what we need.” 

— Mr. Billy Fungwe, Workshop Manager, Zambeef Chiawa Farms 

The practical exposure Christine received during her training made the difference. 

Across Sub-Saharan Africa, millions of girls face disrupted education due to early pregnancy, limiting their access to formal employment and perpetuating cycles of poverty. In Zambia, the challenge remains particularly visible in rural communities, where distance, limited opportunities, and social expectations often narrow the future of young women before it fully begins. Christine Kalizya’s journey stands at the intersection of this reality, showing what becomes possible when targeted skills training meets determination. 

Christine’s story is not simply about a young woman who secured a good job. It is about the quiet breaking of a cycle where teenage pregnancy ends a girl’s education and this limited education restricts her opportunities, and where those limited opportunities are passed down to the next generation. 

Christine has broken that cycle. With stable employment and a regular income, she can now provide her child with a decent livelihood and create a better future, while representing an example for other young girls with similar backgrounds.  

The training program at KVTC, an investment from the Government of Zambia, the Government of Japan, Hitachi Construction Machinery, and facilitated by UNIDO, is ultimately an investment in possibilities for young people.  

The centre’s equipment, capacitated instructors and industry-aligned standards, have already translated into impact, with hundreds of trained operators ready to enter the workforce, including a growing number of women breaking into the heavy equipment sector. 

Somewhere on an 8,000-hectare farm in Chiawa, as the engine of an excavator roars to life at sunrise, Christine Kalizya is using the skills she learned at KVTC to operating heavy machinery across thousands of hectares of Zambian farmland and inspiring a generation of young women and men who may now see possibilities where none seemed to exist before; quietly proving that resilience, when met with opportunity, can transform not only one life, but the future of an entire generation.