The Insufo project
Insofu is the most recent international partnership that DSF has initiated in collaboration with The Zambia National Students Union (ZANASU) in the summer of 2022. Similar to DSF, ZANASU represents students within higher education institutions. It represents 32 member institutions of higher learning and centres its activities on four key pillars:
- Advocacy: Defends students’ rights and the passage of policies for the democratisation of education across the continent, with emphasis on access, equity, and equality.
- Capacity Development: Facilitates education and training to build the capacities of students through conferences, seminars, training programs, and educational materials to improve skills for professional and personal spaces.
- Networking: Creates platforms and environments to build closer relations for healthy partnerships.
- Partnerships: Seeks out collaborative partnerships with like-minded organisations to work together to advance progressive agendas.
This partnership with ZANASU is DSF’s third international partnership and marks its second collaboration in the Southern African region. Together, ZANASU and DSF have titled this partnership ‘Insofu’, meaning Elephant in Bemba. This is a fitting name since together, the two organisations aim to address ‘The Insofu in the Room’; the lack of academic freedom in Zambia. We believe this issue is of extreme importance for the well-being of students and the future of education which is why we aim to engage with university students and key governmental stakeholders through cross-national and cultural activities, social media campaigns, workshops and research.
In addition to addressing ‘the elephant in the room’, Insofu represents an aspiration to develop meaningful youth engagement, enhance quality education, and subsequently promote active citizenship. This makes an elephant a particularly relevant mascot since we are inspired by the qualities of resilience, strength and solidarity it represents.
