AFRICA VOLUNTEER PROJECT

Building a Community School by the Zambezi River, Zambia

Come for one week, one month, or longer!

FUNDS NEEDED URGENTLY FOR CONSTRUCTION OF CLASSROOMS

AIMS OF PROJECT:

• To raise funds for the construction of a community school in rural Africa
• To recruit volunteers to help with this rewarding project in Zambia, near the historic town of Livingstone and the Victoria Falls

BACKGROUND: In 2007, a group of parents and teachers from neighbouring villages on the banks of the Zambezi, in Zambia's Southern Province, set up Nandavu Community School and registered it with the Ministry of Education. Until then, there was no education provision for the young children of the area.

In Zambia, community schools are set up, financed and run by local residents. All costs for construction, educational materials, teachers' salaries, classroom furniture and other resources are borne by the community. The Government does not provide support for a community school until that school is well established.

The teachers at Nandavu Community School hold morning lessons for over 60 children in the mud/thatch church building in the village. There are no desks, no storage space for books and stationery, and no facility for putting up posters and displays of children's work. The teachers are doing their best to offer pre-school education in this environment and parents pay a monthly school fee to support them.

At the end of 2007, the school committee approached Jungle Junction, a nearby eco-tourist camp, to help with the development of Nandavu Community School. Through personal contacts and the generosity of visitors to the camp, funds were donated to begin the building programme and books were sent from overseas. In May 2008, Evelyn Roe (a researcher with a local NGO) offered to assist with fund-raising and recruiting volunteers to help build the school.

IMMEDIATE FUNDING REQUIRED in 2008:

US$7200 / £3600 to complete Stage 1 of the classroom building programme before the onset of the rains in late October or early November. This figure includes all costs for the foundations and concrete slab for two classrooms and the teachers' office.

FUNDING FOR 2009:

US$20,000 / £10,000 is the estimated cost of Stage 2, completing the first two classrooms and office.

See "Fund-Raising" for a breakdown of these figures, details of other requirements, and a regular update on the amount of money already raised.

COMMUNITY COMMITMENT:

This is a grass-roots project, initiated by parents who value education. Chief Sekute has given his approval and the Headmen have allocated a plot of land for the new school. Villagers are collecting locally available building materials and providing free labour. The Chair of the School Committee, Mr. Godfrey Kalemba, encourages the participation of many members of the community, not only the parents of the children presently attending lessons. A qualified and experienced builder is overseeing construction to ensure that the classrooms are built to a high standard.

Gap-year students and other volunteers are invited to assist the community with this worthwhile project. Tucked away in a peaceful village by the Zambezi River, it's only an hour's drive from Livingstone and Victoria Falls. Volunteers are met in Livingstone and brought to Jungle Junction's Bovu Island camp, where they stay during their time at the project. The island is just opposite the village and school.

For information about making a donation or volunteering, contact the co-ordinator, Evelyn Roe:

communityschool@junglejunction.info; mobile tel. no: +260 (0) 976 903 209.