Linda Community School
This is a school in a disadvantaged area of Livingstone for children who are all chosen by the
community, having been assessed as the most vulnerable. Many are orphans. If this school did not
exist many of the children would not attend school at all. Originally housed in an overcrowded
and dilapidated old community centre, it was a primary school when we became involved with it in
2017 and began construction of purpose-built facilities on a new site. Having completed the seven
classrooms, ablution blocks and cooking facility needed for a primary school, with the agreement of
the Zambian government the school was expanded to a secondary school (with the government
deploying a dozen subject teachers to the secondary grades). Another five classrooms were built,
taking the total to twelve, as well as a science lab, two offices and a third ablution block, together with
two insakas (traditional style open air huts, one of which won us the runner up prize for the
Engineering Outreach Award from the Worshipful Company of Engineers in 2023). The three ablution
blocks contain toilets for both boys and girls, as well as showers for the older girls, and use water
from the bore hole and water tower with 5,000 litre tower that we installed. A computer room is
currently being built and the internet (solar powered) has been introduced to the school. A pre-school
facility was built in 2025. Having begun with 470 primary school children when Zambezi Sunrise Trust
began its support, the school now has over 800 pre-school, primary and secondary pupils – catering
for the full age range of the Zambian school system. Our first graduating class (2025) has seen pupils
accepted into university – a far cry from their prospects when the school was first built. Every child
has been provided with a desk and has access to a flush toilet (meeting government aspirations) and
textbook provision is much better than that in other local schools (with children and teachers receiving
books in each subject).
To end the school’s reliance on the intermittent mains water supply, and lower utility bills, a bore hole
was drilled and hand pump installed. This was later supplemented by the construction of a water
tower and 5,000 litre water tank. This now provides the school’s drinking water, water for cooking, as
well as water to irrigate the vegetable garden which supplements the school’s feeding programme.
Together with True Thabo (an American non-profit organisation) we jointly presented a water purifier
system to the new site to ensure that the pupils and staff have access to pure water.
As part of our establishment of a library resource for the school, Zambezi Sunrise for several years
paid the annual subscription that secured periodic grants of reading books from Lusaka from Book Aid
International.
We were delighted when the school received its Examination Centre status, allowing pupils to sit
exams under the auspices of their own school. In 2024 our first Grade 12 (the senior year in the
Zambian system) graduated and several children have been accepted by universities – including
children who originally had little prospect of completing a secondary (or even primary) education.
Zambezi Sunrise Trust are delighted to have established links for Linda with several schools in the
United Kingdom who have each enjoyed a relationship centred on ongoing letter exchanges and
video links. Their support has seen books, desks and uniforms provided to the school, as well as
contributing to the construction of the school. We are very grateful to The Durham Cathedral Schools
Foundation (Durham School and The Chorister School) as well as Hesleden Primary School in
County Durham, Cramlington Village Primary School, Dr Thomlinson C of E Middle School, Seaton
Sluice Middle School and Stobhillgate First School in Northumberland, as well as Sleights Primary
School, Castleton and Glaisdale Primay Schools in North Yorkshire, and New End Primary School in
London, for their support.
We are delighted to have facilitated regular links between the school and ten schools in the United
Kingdom: such links benefit the children in each country, with letter exchanges and video links taking
place. Large scale uniform donations have been made by schools in the U.K., and a book donation
from one provided the foundation of the school library.
Nekacheya School
This inspirational school proves what can be done with dedicated staff and eager students despite
limited resources. ‘Nekacheya’ is a Tonga word that means ‘although small.’ Opened in 2008 with a
single child (hence the name), it has grown to 300. Provision is made for them from pre-school
through to Grade 7 (approximately aged 12/13). The children come from a wide variety of
backgrounds and, indeed, tribes (and, therefore, first languages). As in all Zambian schools, classes
are taught in English. A grade may contain students over a three-year age range with a huge
difference in ability because some may join who have not previously had the benefit of such a school.
The focus is on literacy and numeracy and in that context the Zambian curriculum is followed with a
view to ensuring the children pass their exams to qualify for a secondary school. Nekacheya’s recent
public examination results have been excellent, and the school recently received its examination
centre status.
Zambezi Sunrise Trust has invested heavily in books at this school. We are particularly proud to be
able to say that we understand that Nekacheya was the only school in the region in which in five-year
groups every child had their own textbook in each of the core subjects. This is in complete contrast to
the ‘normal’ situation in which only a teacher usually has access to a textbook and the pupils must
spend an inordinate amount of time copying the content from a blackboard. This has greatly facilitated
the ability of teachers to improve the learning of pupils. Literacy has also been enhanced by the
provision of class sets of reading books. Further, Zambezi Sunrise for several years paid the annual
subscription that secured the school access to donations of hundreds of reading books from Book Aid
International.
Zambezi Sunrise has also provided computers and been instrumental in the setting up of an IT room
at the school. These not only assist with learning – one of our trustees has helped move the
administration of the school from a handwritten system onto the computers which will greatly increase
the efficiency of the school administration going forward.
In 2023 the school was able to move the four senior Grades to a new site with improved facilities.
Zambezi Sunrise Trust was delighted to assist with this by funding a 3,000 litre water tank as well as
assisting with the administration involved in drilling a bore hole. The water tank compliments our
funding assistance with the completion of an ablution block containing toilets for boys and girls, as
well as a shower for older girls.
We are pleased to say that with the provision of further whiteboards every class in the school now has
a whiteboard – at both the old and new sites – something that cuts down on the dust in extremely
crowded classrooms.
Zambezi Sunrise have also been able to assist the school away from the classroom. Our trustees
have brought musical instruments donated by supporters in the UK and the school now has an active
band. Moreover, the boy’s football team now have shirts featuring the school colours. The girl’s netball
and volleyball teams now play in tops donated by our supporters at Durham School in the UK.
Zambezi Sunrise have been delighted to cooperate with our friends at Sonskyn in Belgium who have
also supported Nekacheya for several years. We have also been able to coordinate support from ex
volunteer teachers from around the world to further help the school after their return home.
We are also very pleased to have facilitated a school twinning between Nekacheya and Shotley
Bridge Primary School in England. As well as exchanging letters and artwork with Nekacheya,
Shotley Bridge has fundraised and transformed the book provision there. One of our trustees has
taught at Nekacheya for a total of five months over three a three-year period.
Njokomalomo Basic School
This is a very remote rural school situated near the Zambezi in Western Province / Barotseland. Many
children walk long distances to this school which has few resources. Since becoming involved with it
in 2020 we have built three boarding huts (with our partners Sonskyn building another four) as well as
a new classroom using traditional materials. Uniform and sports kit donations have been made, and
we have paid the subscription and transport fees to secure hundreds of reading books from Book Aid
International in distant Lusaka (something we have also done for Linda Community School and
Nekacheya).
Support to other schools
In 2022 during the Covid lockdowns we stepped in to help Dream Elementary School in the Highlands
area of Livingstone. By ensuring that a part-built classroom block was completed we were able to
ensure that the school’s plans for expansion were able to continue. Textbooks have also been
supplied to the school. At Simoonga Combined School water purifiers were supplied in conjunction
with True Thabo (an American NGO), while desks have been provided to De Santo Centre for the
Deaf and assistance given to Baobuyu Learning Centre to reconnect their electricity supply after a
lightning strike.
Linda Sunrise Pre-school
On our first birthday, May 8th 2017, the first children began morning classes at Linda Sunrise
Preschool. Beginning with eight children, it grew to over 30: some of whom would not otherwise
attend school. It used the same Linda Sunrise facilities as Homework Club and Tiyesa Craft Club,
thus ensuring that they were utilised all day for the benefit of the community. Preschool also benefitted
from uniforms, teacher support and learning materials donated by our supporters. We were pleased to
support this school until 2023. Our preschool support is now focussed on the class for this age range
at nearby Linda Community School.
This small pre-school was supported with teaching and cleaning materials between 2017 and 2023,
helping children in Linda compound.