The education of over 320 vulnerable children and orphans from the community of Machaya was in serious jeopardy when the school was asked to vacate the building they had been renting.

A poor farming community situated ten miles north of Lusaka, Machaya is made up of around 900 households. Many people grow maize and soya to provide for their families.

With the school facing eviction, the community managed to secure a new plot very close by but needed help to build a new school.

Your support meant that in 2018 /2019 we worked with the community at Machaya to:

• Build a three classroom block with office and a strong room for exam papers
• Build school latrines to improve pupil health and well-being
• Install a new borehole and hand-pump to provide clean and safe water
• Train 19 young, local men and women with new skills in construction to help them find work

Covering eight classes from pre-school to Grade 7, it is fantastic to see how the school is thriving since it opened in the spring!

We caught up with Machaya Head teacher Mr Ben Kapoma:

“It’s very great to have a new school. We are very happy, the community is happy, all teachers are very happy, we are all excited!

The school has brought a bigger enrolment and the number of pupils has gone up.

The school now has 7 teachers; 6 female and 1 male which is me! All are government teachers that have been sent here to assist the community.”

Mr Kapoma said that the project has inspired and motivated the local community.

They are putting ideas forward to continue the development of the school and have already started making a toilet block for teachers.

They are exploring the opportunity of converting an existing building, as well as construction of further classrooms, to provide additional capacity.