Our Work

Chiutika Basic School

Our initial visit in December 2005 to Chiutika Basic School was organized by Barry van der Maas, one of the owners of the Luangwa River Lodge located just outside the South Luangwa National Park. When we arrived, we were greeted by the headmaster, Mr. Lungu, who gave us a tour and explained the difficulties in running a rural school with almost no government funding and few paychecks arriving for his teachers.

With over 1000 students enrolled and a mere staff of 16 teachers, he had no desks, chalkboards and few textbooks. Despite this, he spoke proudly of his students’ accomplishments and his hope that we could help them to start a library by sending some books. His first request was a dictionary. When we returned to the U.S., we began sending books and exchanging letters, which took weeks to arrive. More than anything, we didn’t want to let them down- the requests were so humble.

In March 2006, a letter arrived from the headmaster telling us that the roof had been blown off the only classroom block during a storm the previous month. This was no longer an abstract issue half way around the world, but an event that impacted people we had come to know. That was it; the seed for SCALEAfrica was born.

In August of 2006, after much planning and communication with the school and our supporters in Zambia and the U.S., we returned to get the necessary approvals from the Ministry of Education, the local district officers, and Chief Mnkhanya of the Kunda tribe, within who’s jurisdiction the school is located. Through our discussions with the community, the goals were set, with the community pledging to make all the bricks necessary for two new buildings. That's over 100,000 bricks!

Mr. Lungu has since relocated to run another school and we are now working closely with Mr. Bollin Ngulube, Chiutika’s new headmaster.

Our Immediate Goals

We began full fund raising in May 2007, with the objective of starting construction in late 2007. The project is expected to take 12-24 months. We hope to begin initial project implementation before the heavy seasonal rains, which typically run from December to March.

The cost of building in Zambia is relatively inexpensive, though concrete prices have been rising tied to increased demand around the Soccer World Cup in South Africa in 2010. We have conducted careful cost analysis and have based our budget on extensive consultations with lodge owners and other sources on the ground well versed in similar construction and logistics. We have also received a detailed bill of materials for the scope of construction and intend to allow multiple suppliers to bid for the work. Day to day execution on the ground will be largely run together with the Luangwa River Lodge as a logistic partner & under the supervision of our Project Manager.