Orphan Education Support - Zambian Villages

We are delighted to announce that we were selected as the winner of the ‘Volunteer Abroad Specialist of the Year’ for 2020. We have dedicated this wonderful accolade to our Zambia team.

The first three months of our new financial year have got off to a sound start with more orphans being supported, further schools being developed and more access to safe water for rural schools has been provided.

Schools in Zambia opened on June 1^st for grades 7, 9 and 12. The pupils will be preparing for examinations taking place between October and December. It is hoped that other grades will open in September, after the August break.

The Butterfly Tree has provided protection for 21 schools in the form of soap, hand sanitising gel, disinfectant, and buckets with taps. In addition, two youths who were sponsored by the charity, are making medically approved masks as it is mandatory for pupils to wear them while at school.

For pupils that are boarding, we have recently opened three new boarding houses, one for Mukuni School and two at River View School. Two further boarding houses will shortly be constructed at Musokotwane Secondary School where we are currently expanding their facilities. In addition to the houses, a science lab, a 1x3 classroom block are four toilets are currently under construction.

Due to the impact of COVID-19 on rural communities in Zambia we have regularly provided bags of maize for orphans and vulnerable children. 300 bags were given out yesterday in Ngandu, Kamwi and Mukuni Villages, and Kazungula pupils will receive today.

A 1x3 classroom block, part built by the local community is about to be completed at Nguba Junior Secondary School. Two boreholes (wells) were drilled at Chilebe and Mubuyu Junior Schools in remote areas in Nyawa Chiefdom. After last year’s drought these will be an invaluable asset to the school. Pupils will no longer have to walk long distances to collect water and diarrhoeal disease cases will be considerable reduced. Previously pupils had to draw water from bacteria-infected streams. A further six schools are to receive boreholes this month.

We have received donations to purchase textbooks for four schools. There is a huge shortage of textbooks in Zambian schools with classes of more that 60 pupils sharing as few as two textbooks. We have proof that providing each pupil with a text book considerably improves examination results.

Many of the pupils we have supported through school years have gone onto college. Some have become teachers, agriculturalists, journalists, builders, and tailors to name but a few. Currently six students are being sponsored – two in biomedicine, two in teaching, one is journalism and one in IT. Once they have completed their degree and engaged in employment, they will be able to support their families as well as giving back to their community.

Links:

• Orphan Support in Zambia