Over the last months, I’ve kept in close contact with the friends and teachers in Kalonje, and our conversations and brainstorming have evolved into the Muchelenje Development Project; a grass- roots project to provide basic school supplies, barebones communication, and establish school and cultural exchanges.

As of August 2008, we’ve established a secure mailing system and a dedicated, accountable project committee in the village.  To date,  dozens of parcels have arrived safely with much needed supplies
The hope is those interested in helping the Muchelenje Development Project can pool their resources, whether they are monetary, donations of equipment and supplies, fostering contacts, or helping / hosting fundraising events.

What follows is a brief description of the village, school, and the projects’ short & long term goals.

Muchelenje Development Project

The Muchelenje Middle Basic School is located in the village of Kalonje, off the Great North Road in Northern Zambia - adjacent to the North & South Luangwa Parks and the Mutinondo Wilderness.  The village and school are located in a farming subsistent area with no electricity or infrastructure, the nearest electrified towns being Mpika, 80 km to the north, and Serenje, 100 km to the south.

Middle Basic Schools provide the only accessible education in Zambia’s rural areas, with less than 2% continuing to the next levels.

The Muchelenje School serves four other villages surrounding Kalonje, and has a total of 350 students, Levels 1-9 (ages 6 - 17); rough western equivalent would be K to 9^th grade.  Subjects taught Levels 4-9 are mathematics, geography, environmental science, English, art and history.  Almost all classes are taught in English
as well as Bemba, the local language, on a rotating basis dawn to dusk to accommodate 350 children in 2 school blocks.  The teaching staff is limited to a head teacher, four course teachers, and 1 volunteer teacher. 

Unfortunately, the Zambian Government and Ministry of Education concentrate their available funds (which are few) on urban schools, leaving rural villages to fend for themselves.

School Blocks of mud brick, corrugated, and stone benches are crumbling.  Sanitation and water are limited to pit latrines and hand dug ‘Bore Holes’.  Teachers, appointed by the Ministry to the Middle Basic Schools, arrive to find collapsing teacher housing, no books or school supplies, and little hope of pay.  With the average income of less than a dollar a day and a life expectancy of 40 y/o,   families sacrifice to send their children to school when they can ill afford pencils, shoes, and one less worker in the fields.

Though the needs of the village and school are many, the projects’ goals are four part:
1.To provide basic school & educational supplies
2.Address school infrastructure, sanitation and health concerns
3.Establish exchanges: educational, artistic & cultural with schools, churches, and organizations
4.Create a degree of self sufficiency & sustainability.

EDUCATIONAL SUPPLIES
Our initial drive for school supplies has resulted in two successful shipments of pens, pencils, paper, art supplies, maps, rulers, etc.,  as well as first aid kits, toothbrushes, sports balls, battery chargers, and a solar panel for cell phone and battery charging.
These types of supplies are always in need as the goal is to provide each student with a set of basics.

We are now concentrating on textbooks, workbooks, teaching aids, science kits etc., as well as health & hygiene supplies. Please see the complete list of supplies needed.

We are also exploring e-mail & limited internet access options through Zambian cell providers (Zain/Celtel) to expedite communication, text documents and pictures.  In the meantime, we have regular contact with the village through texting and one way
Skype calls.

Even without an outside connection, second hand laptops & related hardware with additional solar panels for charging would be invaluable as teaching and learning tools.  CD’s, DVD’s, flash drives with educational software, and multimedia can be exchanged through the post.

We invite those organizations and institutions with access to used textbooks, teaching & science supplies, hard & software, and Third World communications experience to join us.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND HEALTH
Equally important as school supplies is a safe & structurally sound learning environment.  The project committee in Zambia is prioritizing and submitting proposals for urgently needed structural repairs & improvements.  We’ve agreed these projects need to be broken down into manageable phases.  Proposals will outline and document the current condition, work to be done, time frame, list & cost of materials, and village labor and local material available (brick / thatch etc).  Any funds dispersed will be handled by the project treasurer & building committee through a project bank account in Mpika, with full accountings and photos sent stateside throughout each phase. All are aware that future projects are contingent on successful completion of the task at hand.

The most pressing projects are:
1.School block structural & roof repair / replacements
2.Demolish stone benches, pour concrete floors
3.Build desks / tables and benches using local labor & materials
4.Allowance for tools
5.Black boards - new and resurfacing
6.Constructing boys, girls & teachers latrines
7.Structural and roof repairs to teacher housing
8.Bore hole drilling to 20’ - current hand dug wells are only 9’ deep become contaminated quickly, and are abandoned in the dry season.

HEALTH
Malnutrition (especially 5 years and younger), malaria, dysentery, TB, infections, and HIV-Aids are the top health concerns.  The nearest clinic for rudimentary health care is 30 KM away, with marginal hospital facilities 100 KM away.

Lack of potable water is the cause of many preventable illnesses.  Deeper bore hole drilling by auger and construction of contained
latrines with filtering bases will improve the health of students and villagers dramatically.

Along with school supplies, we have started sending first aid kits, basic hygiene items, (toothbrushes, antibacterials), simple water filtration devices, and HIV-Aids education materials.  Used eyeglasses of all types are being collected and sent to be dispersed by a mobile eye clinic, which reaches the village periodically.

Those in the medical profession would be invaluable with a networking of knowledge and supplies to work in conjunction with the project and local Zambian clinics.

EXCHANGES
The heart of this project is establishing educational, artistic, and cultural exchanges with stateside schools, churches, organizations, and artisans.

We have started working with public & private schools to develop exchanges between Muchelenje students and teachers and their stateside counterparts.  Lists of all the village students are available with name, age, grade, and short bio.  Each teacher has written a letter of introduction outlining the challenges of the school and their particular classes.

Stateside classes at all levels will be able to create their own cultural & artistic exchanges, with opportunities for those interested in independent study. We invite schools to donate outdated text books, supplies and obsolete laptops & related hardware to the Muchelenje School to enrich this exchange.


Zambia is a Christian country with a broad number of denominations and the local pastors in Kalonje have been instrumental in organizing the project.  The church is the cornerstone of the lives of the Zambian people, and we invite churches of all faiths to embrace the project in their own mission work.

In their desire to participate and contribute, the students and villagers have started the Muchelenje Art Project where artwork, crafts, written works, music and photos are being sent over.  These artistic exchanges to schools, galleries and other venues not only open a window into Zambian life, but will be a significant source of fundraising and income for the village.

SELF SUFFICIENCY
Education is the key to developing self-sufficiency and sus-tainability in the village.  One of our goals is to eventually sponsor those from the village who have managed to move on in their education and training to return for a set period of time to teach and empower.

Sometimes the small gestures can have a huge impact.  Cultivating and purchasing art & crafts; sending a sewing kit to a seamstress; or providing tools to build school desks all open the door to opportunities we take for granted.

Students, teachers and villagers are eager to have contact with the outside, full of questions (and misconceptions).  Donations and exchanges will open up new worlds for all involved.  We invite any comments, suggestions or contacts to help our efforts.

Thank you,
Seth Price
&  The Mucheleje School
The Village of Kalonje,  Zambia