This is the core focus of Tukongote Community Projects, and the school we started with back in 2009.
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Our team of 30 teachers and support staff proudly serve and educate 175 children and about 20 adults.
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A lifetime experience gift for our pupils is their annual outing. Destinations include the Victoria Falls, railway museum, airport, crocodile farm, Livingstone museum and Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park.
Read MoreWe have a study centre, library, computer lab, arboretum, auditorium and sensory garden.
Opened in 2018, serving the whole community, our Study Centre consists of a library, 2 study rooms and 5 outdoor reading pods. It is open 6 days a week for all ages.
Students from neighbouring Siandunda Primary attend extra lessons before or after school. Adults attend in the afternoons and early evenings for our Adult Education programs, participating in school classes and adult literacy.
The school holiday program has learners from Grades 7, 9 and 12 attending for extra revision before their big exams at the end of the year. Teachers use one-on-one and small group work, setting projects, and encouraging library use.
Reading classes and clubs are offered, with chess, debating and quizzes being firm favourites. Happy Readers, developed in Zimbabwe, is one of the reading schemes we use.
Our long-term vision is the creation of a skills training centre...
Part of the Study Centre, and open to the whole community and neighbouring schools, our library opened in June 2018.
We received books from Lodge guests, many from Books Abroad and an incredible 27,000 from Books2Africa. Two librarians from Scotland assisted in setting up and training our staff in library skills.
In Zambia, such a library is very rare! Waterberry guests on village walks are amazed to find this treasure in a rural area.
Everyone is loving the facility. Our primary school pupils have many library sessions per week and enjoy exploring the books. They are growing up having books in their lives, learning to read for pleasure and for purpose.
Our computer lab, with dedicated computer skills teacher, is equipped with computers, printers, screen and projector, and allows computer literacy lessons and internet access for children and adults.
In December 2018, as a birthday present to Tessa, one of Waterberry's owners, 90 assorted tree saplings were donated. (Tessa’s husband, Rob, made the generous donation which allowed us to purchase the Tukongote land and pay for the buildings.)
Waterberry and Tukongote staff gathered at the school to plant the trees, ranging from the mighty baobab to the beautiful flamboyant tree. It was a very special morning, each tree being planted by a pair, with their names and the name of the tree recorded.
An ongoing reforestation project, we have more trees in our nursery to be planted by Tukongote pupils over time.
Beautifying the surroundings and providing shade, the planting and care for the trees teaches respect for the environment and about leaving a living legacy for future generations. One of our teachers, said, "If you can't write a book, plant a tree."
On 25 March 2020 at 18h00, the first ever electricity generated light in the village was switched on! This was made possible by generous donations from two American families: The Steele/Johnson family who raised funds in honour of their late son/husband/brother/father, Patrick Steele, who passed away in October 2017 at the age of 42. Patrick and his family were inspired by their visit to the school in June 2017.
And the Bostic Family who also visited in June 2017. They too were moved to support in a big way, and continue to do so.
It means electricity for water pumps, lights, computers, internet, cell phones, fridges, freezers etc., enabling us to power a computer lab, extend adult literacy and schooling programs into the evenings, and open our skills training centre.
With this infrastructure in place, the villagers will be able to apply to ZESCO, the Zambian power company, for private prepaid meters. Thanks to another generous donation, we also have a solar power system, providing backup for the computers and all vital appliances.
