May 2023
Newsletter
So many exciting new projects!
As we exit rainy season we have so many exciting new developments to talk about!
From a new 'Summer School' programme, teaching sponsored students about computers and life skills in their school holidays, to a new teacher training programme for over 70 teachers from 5 local schools, or an innovative new sustainable building project using recycled materials at Chiwawatala School, and the launch of our expanded Foundation Programme, including students from Time and Tide Foundation too!
On top of that we've trialled new innovative cooking stoves to further reduce on charcoal and wood use, and supported UK donors to hand out 16 sets of football strips to over 170 local kids!
We've certainly started 2023 with a bang, and thank you so much to all of our donors, sponsors and Member Lodges, who are on this journey with us!
Digital Learning in Action
With generous support from Travel Elevates, Spider, the Patel Family and Africa Hope Fund, we have managed to triple our new Digilearn Project in size
Digilearn brings electronic tablet learning into mainstream schooling, improving classroom resources and improving the overwhelming pupil to teacher ratio by lowering classroom sizes.
Using Mwabu's innovative learning platform to cover the entire Zambian curriculum, the project now operates in two schools and provides enhanced learning to over 350 children.
In addition we have partnered with Inspiring Teachers to not only develop our existing Digilearn schools, but to also support those schools we hope to expand into next year. The Inspiring Teachers programme offers peer reviewed coaching techniques and technology to improve teaching methods and motivation. We're very excited to see the outcomes of that training which is underway as we speak!
It is still our aim to reach 5 schools in 5 years, while continuing to expand the programme to additional grades as we truly bring digital learning to rural Zambia.
For anyone who would like to support this exciting new project, please get in touch directly with us at info@projectluangwa.org.
Supporting Youth Football
Providing a constructive outlet and positive role models through sport, is such an important opportunity for so many local children
Through the incredible work of Crispin Mason-Jones, and previous Valley Doctor Ellie, we have seen donations of sports kit and football strips flood into to our local teams. This month we delivered 16 strips to over 170 children and we have a further consignment to deliver later in the year.
We're so grateful for all of the donors who have supported this project, and a particularly big thank you to the people of the North East of England for their generosity.
We support both girls and boys football teams from ages 11 to adult
Developing our Eco-Stove Project
Our Eco-Stove project has seen some exciting expansion this year. With the support of the Derek Moore Foundation, we were able to purchase a motorbike for a Field Supervisor, and Elephant Charge kindly covered the salary for this critical new role.
With proper supervision we have been able to expand the team, which has not only improved strategic planning, but also allowed stove parts to be more easily delivered to teams in the field. We have also improved field reporting, allowing us to respond more quickly to community needs, and we've been able to coordinate far more effectively in the rainy season, significantly increasing the number of revisits we have been able to make to households to repair stoves and review conservation messaging.
As a result of these changes we have:
- Planted 340 more trees than this time last year
- Built 216 more stoves than this time last year
- Made 1,832 more revisits and repairs than this time last year
Recycled Solar IT Classroom
As part of expanding our Digilearn programme, and with generous support from the Patel Family, we are very excited to start building a new solar powered IT Centre at Chiwawatala Primary School.
Designed by the Natural Building Collective, the new centre utilises sustainable building techniques and recycled materials (glass bottles and plastics) to create a cool and airy classroom environment.
The students will continue to learn all of their lessons on tablets or through group learning from the innovative Mwabu programme.
In addition we are teaching local builders in how to build cheaply and effectively using these new methods, which we hope to replicate on other future projects.
A number of the team are drawn directly from the surrounding villages and are really proud to be supporting a project where their children go to school.
Foundation Programme for Young Achievers
It's been fantastic to start up our Foundation Programme once again for 2023. Last year was a huge success, with 100% of students now in tertiary education, employment, or about to go into tertiary education later this year.
This year we have increased our number of students to 15, including 3 students from the Time & Tide Foundation. Students will continue to learn valuable skills in IT, English and practical maths, as well as life skills such as budgeting, personal motivation and career development.
In addition, with incredible funding from the Coles-Medlock Foundation, Allan & Nesta Ferguson Trust, and the Mills Family, we have not only been able to expand our numbers, we have also been able to launch a new 'Summer School' programme for younger age groups as well. This programme also started last month, teaching 40 children the basics of IT and numeracy, as well as some of the foundational skills that we develop on the full course. We will be carrying on with this project in the final term break as well, and hope that with this additional support, students in future years will come to us with a greater understanding of these basic skills, allowing us to develop them further through the Foundation Course.
Our first session outlining personal goals for the course ahead
Sponsorship
Last week saw nearly 150 children attend our Clubhouse to write letters to sponsors and prepare to return to school for Term 2.
The generosity displayed by our sponsors continues to be truly staggering, as we now support 147 children through secondary school, and 55(!) through University or training college.
By continuing to sponsor children to boarding school, we are giving them the best possible opportunity at a full education, freed from the challenges that rural Zambia living can often create. This is particularly prevalent for girls, but all children will often be expected to carry out chores, help in the fields, and walk vast distances everyday if they are to attend a Day School.
With your help we are giving these students the best chance possible to fully realise their potential. Thank you so much, and all sponsors please keep an eye on your mailbox for letters this week!
We also spent time last month visiting Lusaka to check in with sponsored students and ensure that they have all of the support that they need
Welcome Back to the Valley!
As the rains subside and access to many of the more remote camps becomes easier, we also see a wonderful influx of tourism.
It is so great to welcome visitors back to the valley, particularly as the challenges of the past few years are still fresh in the mind. The return of tourists continues to not only provide a critical boost to the local economy, it also means that much needed school donations are once again getting through to us. We have been able to donate chalk, pens, pencils, maths supplies, sports equipment, menstrual hygiene pads, reading glasses and electronic items to so many schools and communities, as a result of the incredible generosity of our guests. Thank you so much for all that you do.
Visitors to our Craft Shop and Café also provide vital revenue to the Project, with 100% of the proceeds going back into our programmes. In addition the local craftspeople that we support by providing a platform for their goods, have finally been able to make a living from their art once more.
We'd especially like to mention Pack for a Purpose, who do so much to organise supplies being brought out to schools, communities and children in need.
In addition Expert Africa have been incredibly generous in their support, donating $10 to our Eco-Stove Project, after every review they receive from a visitor.
It is so good to finally see everyone again, and we hope that this will continue into next year and beyond!
How Can you Help?
For those who would like to get involved, there are a number of initiatives we are currently raising funds for. These include:
- $10 will provide a stove for a family, helping us to carry out crucial revisits and rebuilds in the wetter seasons
- $15 will buy a pack of Ufulu pads for a girl, helping her to not miss up to one week of school per month
- $30 provides a new desk for a school that is struggling to seat all of their pupils
- $150 will help to provide electronic tablets for our Digilearn project
- $750 to support the Girls and Boys Football Teams for the rest of the season
If you would like to donate even a small amount for any of the above projects then please follow the link here, or email info@projectluangwa.org. Thank you so much for your support!
In addition, to those visiting the valley, please check out Pack for a Purpose's website, as any donations are so gratefully received.
Finally, if anyone is booking their trip through Expert Africa, then please remember to leave a review as $10 goes to our Eco-Stove Project.
Thank you to everyone who continues to support us, your generosity is having such a positive effect on the lives of disadvantaged children and communities.
Thank yous!
We continue to be humbled by the incredible support from all of our donors. It is so wonderful to welcome everyone back to the valley, and we are truly indebted to everyone who has donated or provided school supplies for disadvantaged children during their trip.
We're also incredibly grateful to the organisations that have continued to work with us during these challenging times, and a big thank you to Africa Hope Fund for their match funding! Thanks also to Expert Africa, for donating $10 to the Stove Project for every review.
In addition, the commitment of our lodges to support local communities has continued to be outstanding. Without the critical relationship between tourism-community-conservation, then South Luangwa would fail to exist as we know it, and we are so grateful to all our members, Flatdogs Camp, Robin Pope Safaris, Kafunta Safaris, Shenton Safaris, Green Safaris Shawa River Camp, Njobvu Safaris, and Chichele Safaris Puku Ridge, for all they do. We're also excited to welcome new member Pelican Lagoon too! Please follow the links below to learn more about these wonderful operators.
As always we can't thank all of our child sponsors enough, for allowing disadvantaged children the opportunity of an education. If you'd like to know more details about this, then please take a look at our website.
We're also incredibly thankful to the Patel Family for driving our newest initiative DigiLearn, and to C-Quest Capital for allowing us to implement our stove project. In addition the generosity of the Mills Family and the Nelde Family has been unbelievable in allowing for expansion of both the Foundation Programme and DigiLearn this year.
Finally, thank you to everyone who has chosen 'Project Luangwa' as their charity of choice through Amazon. As a reminder, for those of you who shop on Amazon in the UK, please remember to login through Amazon Smile, rather than the usual login page, and select Project Luangwa as your supported charity. That way every time you shop, a portion of the cost is donated for free.
If you would like to know more about our activities then please click here or look below for a link to our annual reports.
A special thank you to Livingstone Foundation, Chiawa Trust, Lyons Trust, and the Patel, Nelde, Holmes and Mills Families for their high level support of our projects and students.
As always, we are also so grateful to everyone who has chosen to sponsor a student or donate to one of our programmes. You are the reason we are able to continue our work in South Luangwa and help to empower the people living here. The good you do cannot be overstated.
Thank you
If you would like to get involved, or continue to support Project Luangwa and all of our programs, please click one of the links below.
Visit our website for more info www.projectluangwa.org
Project Luangwa is proudly supported by local Member Lodges:
