The Msuna Walk

Chikamba Village School

Roof needed for Village school... Enthusiastic walkers stride out to help... The Msuna Walk, started three years ago by Larry and Judy Cumming, Victoria Falls residents, is now an annual event that raises money and supplies for needy schools between Victoria Falls and Msuna a resort Island on the shores of Lake Kariba. The Chikamba Village Project is close to their hearts and further fundraising efforts are being made to roof their school. Judy Cumming reports Chikamba Village in the Gavu Dip area has never had a school. The closest schools are too far for the very young children to walk to daily.

Permission was granted in January 2013 by the Ministry of Education for a school to be built in this area. Parents, who were never educated themselves, were delighted. They got together and built 'classrooms' for Grade 0,1,2 and 3 children.

The school buildings.

In the middle of winter, these young children were prepared to sit on rocks and broken planks in the dirt because they wanted to learn.

The parents also built three pole and daga huts for the teachers. When I visited the site in June they were busy constructing basic squat toilets for the children.

Very close to the school is a half built church which could be used to accommodate the pupils when the rainy season arrives.

This is a photo of Faith sitting at her 'desk'. She is one of the orphans. I gave her a copy of this image, she was awestruck and when we spotted her walking home later in the day, she was still clutching her photo and really did not want anyone else to touch it!

The village needs some money to put a roof up over the structure. The quote they were given by a hardware company in Hwange in November 2012 was for $1,476 which I am sure we can raise.

The small church which is close to the school and needs to be completed so the children can use it in the rainy season.

The headmaster, Mr James Siambare, told me that there are 54 children attending the new school. Of special need are the 20 orphans whom are being cared for by their grandparents and other family members.

Each year we organise a walk from Victoria Falls to Msuna which is 126km. Walkers donate money to buy stationery which is handed out to pupils along the route. This year a very special sponsor, Mrs Norwin Bhasera, gave us 20 khaki uniforms, 18 T shirts, 11 jackets and a bag full of sunglasses. All the uniforms were given to the children of the Chikamba School project. They were delighted. The sunglasses caused much hilarity along the route. The kids loved them and seemed to be more of a hit than the stationery!

If you would like to donate in cash or kind to this project, please contact Judy Cumming at judybee@iwayafrica.com

Read more from the Zambezi Traveller eNewsletter:
Zambezi Traveller eNewsletter (No5, Aug 2013)