Zambia Project

OVERVIEW

In conjunction with our charity partner Baraka Community Partnerships, Exodus has been involved in project work in Zambia for over 5 years. With the help of our volunteers - many of whom return every year - we have worked on a variety of initiatives including schools, bore holes, malaria nets, income generation schemes and healthcare. Our focus is to support villages and communities who are keen to help themselves and who have already set up their own community schools. We prefer not to dole out cash but to instigate schemes and projects that will allow the school and villages to be self-sufficient in the long term.

LATEST UPDATE

Kampasa School continues to thrive in a difficult environment and the parents, teachers and pupils are proud of their achievements in their first year of operating. As well as sending them a variety of books and educational materials we have recently paid for the school to be connected to the water grid. The school now for the first time has clean running water and the toilets are flushing! The big news is that we have just finished a new chicken coop which has been built specifically to ensure a sustainable future for the school allowing them to generate their own income. The first chicks should be arriving in May 2013.

Sangwani has experienced some problems of late with a dispute over the land rights for the school. What could have resulted in the school being disbanded has actually strengthened the school in the long term as a new plot of land has been donated by the village headman and the parents have rallied round to ensure the school moves on. Though numbers have dropped recently they had peaked at about 140 children earlier this year which we hope to get back to soon. We have helped the school set up a vegetable garden to ensure their long term survival and a local lodge has agreed to buy the produce.

Update posted: 09 May 2013

LINK TO TRIPS

WHAT IS THIS PROJECT ALL ABOUT? Click here to see more ...

For 2013 our Zambian projects shift emphasis as we look to develop more community schools for disadvantaged and orphaned children as follows:

Sangwani School
Sangwani was set up by two local volunteers to provide an education for the younger children of this very poor village. The nearest primary school is over 20 kms away and simply too far to attend. In the past year we have helped construct a new 2 classroom building to replace the mud hut the kids were learning in.  We have also donated a variety of supplies. Our plan this year is to create a new vegetable garden to allow the school some income and we will once again visit the school on our volunteer trip this November.  Since our involvement started the school numbers have more than doubled.

Magurumeno School
Located on the banks of the Zambezi this school has been visited by Exodus groups for many years. In May 2013 we will for the first time take a group of volunteers to the school to help improve the existing school building and we will also be looking towards creating an income generation scheme for the school.

Kampasa School
Kampasa is the newest of our community schools and is located in a very poor shanty town in the capital Lusaka. The school is a converted night club and our volunteer trips will be visiting Kampasa twice this year to help the on-going conversion to a proper school, and to ensure its survival. The school houses over 300 kids who would have very little educational opportunities otherwise.
 

WHAT DO WE WANT TO ACHIEVE THIS YEAR? Click here to see more ...

Working alongside our charity partners Baraka Community Partnerships our primary aim this year at all three schools is to build the foundations for a successful future. Whether it be a chicken coop or a vegetable garden we provide, it is essential these schools manage to stand on their own two feet. Training and funds have been provided to give the schools the best possible chance and we will continue to monitor and support to help build up pupil numbers and keep the community involved.  

SEE THE LIST OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS - Click here to see more ...

• A new learning centre/library built for Kasalu village and school
• Various improvements and renovations to Kasalu School including new roofs and toilet blocks
• Educational and sporting supplies provided for the school and surrounding villages
• Various Children sponsored to attend School
• Vegetable gardens and compost schemes
• A total of 9 bore holes have been built providing clean water
• Work on improving Sangwani School
• Distribution and monitoring of Malaria nets
• Support for the local medical clinic
• Solar panel provided for basic electricity
• Food and supplies provided for teachers and local volunteers
• Chicken coop provided to generate funds for the School
• Vitamins, dental products and first aid supplied
• Assistance on playground and sports pitches
• Support for Chikumibi sport programmes for youths

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

1) Firstly, if you are planning on visiting Zambia on one of our trips, please make everyone in your group aware of what Exodus are doing. Help us spread the word and maybe send us your unused Kwacha at the end of the trip!

2) If you would like to help even more then why not join our Get Involved volunteer trips - check with our groups department.

3) Any extra funds will make a huge difference to help us reach our goal and whatever you donate in 2013 will be match funded by our charity partner Baraka Community Partnerships. You can donate by clicking the "donate now" button.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE?

You can contact our Exodus Project Managers Sarah Ahern or Andy McKee