Nsefu Primary Celebrates Newly Renovated Classroom
In the African nation of Zambia, not every school is cared for equally. Children are educated for free until the age of 12 at government-run or community-run schools, which depend upon minimal government funding for their programs and teachers. Unfortunately, there’s little to no money for things like maintenance, infrastructure and improvements at the schools.
Nsefu Primary － located in a rural, remote part of South Luangwa on the borders of the national park － is one such school, and it has struggled from lack of support for years. In fact, it even includes a condemned classroom block that was built in 1952 and desperately needs to be replaced for safety and morale.
We first shared the story of Nsefu Primary at our Virtual Safari on the River, and thanks to the generosity of so many Africa Hope Fund supporters, students at Nsefu Primary are now enjoying a newly renovated classroom! This upgrade ensures hundreds of children will have a safer, more inspiring learning environment.
Africa Hope Fund’s long-time partner organization Project Luangwa spearheaded the renovation, one of about 20 school projects for the nonprofit. According to CEO Ian Macallan, Nsefu is a very deprived school, and all of its buildings are in poor condition.
“It’s a school I really want to help bring up in the area,” Macallan said.
The renovated classroom is freshly painted and bright with the light shining through new windows. Students have new desks, and the project has made a great impression on both the teachers and students. In a letter to Project Luangwa, head teacher Ackim Banda wrote that the classroom is a defining milestone for the school, community, and government at large.
“The rehabilitated classroom block will make our school proud, speed up the learning and teaching process, and enhance understanding in learners and the community,” Banda wrote.
While this is a great accomplishment, it’s only step one of a bigger renovation that Project Luangwa wanted to see finished. Macallan said the ultimate goal is to demolish the derelict classroom block that is still there, but there weren’t quite enough funds to do that. One challenge has been the cost of materials increasing, and the value of the dollar depreciating.
“It meant we couldn’t do as much as we wanted to,” he said.
That’s where Africa Hope Fund and its generous donors can still help. Macallan said it would take about $15,000 to renovate another classroom at Nsefu, which would make an even bigger difference in the lives of its students. Additionally, Macallan wants to set up a school maintenance fund through Project Luangwa, which would encourage local schools and their Parent Teacher Associations to get involved and prevent buildings from falling into disrepair.
Any donation today can help set up the maintenance fund and make schools in rural Zambia safer in the future. If you feel called to help Project Luangwa further renovate Nsefu Primary with a large contribution, feel free to reach out directly to Carol Van Bruggen, CEO of Africa Hope Fund, for more information at info@africahopefund.org.