Community Schools

Although Zambia is supposed to have free Primary education this is not really the case. Most of the Government run schools are in towns and most of Zambia is not towns. Even when you live in a town like Ndola the Government schools are few and far between and the town is sprawling so it is impossible for many to get there. Also you still have to pay for uniforms and often text books so for much of the population this is not an option.

One school is Nsobe Trust Community School and this was set up in a small village called Nsobe that is approximately 16 kms down a dusty track from the nearest road and larger settlement. Nsobe is next to a large farm that is now run partly as a farm selling animals and partly as a game farm and lodge for visitors. The villagers and children used to have to walk the 16 kms to get to school in the morning and 16kms back again in the evening. Of course very few went.

An idea was formed to build a school for the primary children and all the money so far has been raised through donations and the local game farm. There is no electricity in the village and a water pump was only fitted a few years back.

The trust pay for the whole school including buildings, salaries, food for the children, uniforms and books.

Jan and I went to this school back in February when we came for a week and we were really impressed with the Head Teacher, Reagan, plus his small group of teachers and more especially with the children. We both decided that we would like to assist as best we can at this school and offer help in addition to our time with “Beyond Ourselves” and the 3 schools that they partner with already.

With that in mind Jan and I “popped in” unannounced earlier this week to see them and we were remembered and welcomed back. Several things had changed from 4 months ago. A library building had been built, the classrooms had been tidied, rendered and painted and a new building to house teachers has been started.

The Library back in February

The Library today ready for books and shelves

The water pump with the old termite mound in the background where they would like to install a water tank and a solar pump from the borehole

All the children were outside and were being given tablets to prevent the current Elephantitus outbreak becoming a much more serious problem. This disease is very prevalent in this area at the moment and all children are being given medicine through the schools and adults are getting it from pharmacies. The disease is not curable when you get it but is preventable. It is another of those carried by a type of mosquito and causes serious swelling of limbs. Jan and I had ours in the local pharmacy.

Children queueing for medicine

2 tablets each and make sure they are swallowed

The school has already asked me to fit shelves to the library so that the currently small stock of books can be displayed and used as well as seeing if I can arrange to get built a staff toilet. Jan has been asked to assist the staff in raising the standards of the teaching. This we hope to do over the next year.

Whilst there we also handed over a donation of money that several of our friends in the UK had given to us to use in a school. Reagan and all the school would like to say thanks for this.

Perhaps Jan and I can find a way we could raise some more so that the school can buy books, both text books and reading books, not only for the primary school but also for the Community to use, then the shelves, once built will look full!! 

Come on our friends in UK you all like education and reading How about some ideas for fundraising, it really would be much appreciated by all at Nsobe