‘Machaya’ translates to ‘fighting’ and fighting for the right to education is exactly what the local community is doing following eviction from the current school at Dudzai village, 10 miles north of Lusaka.
The overcrowded school used to house over 320 vulnerable children and orphans. Thankfully, the community have managed to secure a plot of land near by and construction has started at ‘Machaya’.
Thanks to your support, we are:
- Building a new three classroom block with office and a strong room
- Building school latrines
- Providing a new borehole and hand-pump
- Installing solar power
- Training young, local unemployed men and women in construction skills
It was great to see work start on Machaya School in August. Getting water onto the site is essential for both the community and for the construction process. Drilling a borehole and installing a pump has been a key task. The community have been involved helping to clear and prepare the site, including work to excavate the foundation trenches. Raw materials were delivered on site including building sand, 2080 blocks for foundation walls and 230 bags of cement for the production of around 10,000 Stabilised Soil Blocks (SSB). Trenches were dug and work began on the foundations to the classroom. Work is just starting on the classroom walls.
We build latrines at many of our school projects to improve the health and wellbeing of children, and also encourage more girls to remain in school. Excavation for the Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrine block at Machaya is nearly complete. VIP latrines have ventilation pipes at the back and a substantial superstructure. Improved air circulation helps to both reduce smells and prevent the spread of diseases caused by flies, mosquitoes and other insects which are attracted to the pits. These latrines can be emptied and reused.
Construction will gather pace over the next few months before the rainy season begins in December. We look forward to sharing with you further updates as we build a brighter future at Machaya.
