Projects

Main School Building
Completed Spring 2009

As Dwankhozi Hope stepped alongside our partners in the Dwankhozi Community and after initial fundraising efforts provided the necessary capital, bricks and other necessary building supplies (wood, roofing, windows, doors) were procured locally and delivered to the building site.  The community was able to complete the school building and began holding classes there in the Fall of 2009.

 

Pre-K Building Project
Completed Spring 2011

Clean Water Project
Completed Spring 2010

With funds raised in Canada and the US, Dwankhozi Hope Zambian board members were able to hire a local contractor to drill the borehole. The project was directly overseen by the Zambian Dwankhozi Hope board members.  The new water station has been completed, providing the school and the rest of the community with unrestricted access to a dependable supply of fresh, clean water.  It’s often hard to imagine for those of us who are privileged to live where such seemingly simple things are not an issue – but this was an enormously important development for the community.  It will contribute to overall improvements in healthy and sanitary conditions for the school and community.  Education has been implemented concerning sanitary use of the water station and proper care for a sustainably clean, dependable water source.

 

School Supplies & Furnishings Project
School Supplies – First delivery, Spring 2010; Second delivery, Spring 2011
Student Desks – Completed Spring 2010
Teachers’ Furnishings – Expected Completion Spring/Summer 2011

Prior to April 2010, the students used chalk and blackboards for recording, calculating, and other kinds of study.  They also lacked adequate sports equipment for their physical education.  In April 2010, Dwankhozi Hope provided 1,000 pencils, 3 classroom pencil sharpeners, 20 individual pencil sharpeners, 200 notebooks, 250 boxes of crayons, 10 boxes of chalk, 20 boxes of ballpoints pens, 30 athletic jerseys, 6 soccer balls, 3 volleyballs (for netball), and 1 hand pump for the school.  Provisions such as these will continue to be provided and improved upon on an ongoing basis for the foreseeable future.  If and when the Zambian government were to adopt the school into its system, such provisions would be become the government’s domain.

Also prior to spring of 2010, the students sat on the floor of the building, sat on benches constructed from planks and tires or they stood.  Desks were crucial to enhance the learning experience for the children and help protect against ergonomically related health issues.  60 desks were constructed locally and installed in the completed school building.  Each desk seats two students, accommodating 120 students at a time.

After the students’ needs for supplies and desks had been attended to, it was time to turn our attention to the needs of the school’s teachers.  Teachers required tables and chairs to plan lessons, grade student work, and work collaboratively with each other.  They also needed cabinets and shelves to store materials related to their teaching and the students’ learning.  Dwankhozi Hope funds were sent in Spring 2011 for the furnishings to be constructed and installed in the school.  This will include fourteen teachers’ tables and chairs (seven for each of the seven classrooms, one each for the Headmaster’s and Deputy Headmaster’s offices, and five for the teachers’ staffroom), three filing cabinets, three cupboards, and three shelving units.

 

Teacher Housing Project
Expected Completion of First Home Spring 2011
Additional Housing Projects Ongoing

Currently, there is a lack of formal housing to support the eleven teachers at the school.  This lack of housing not only affects the current teachers at the school but also inhibits the community from attracting additional trained teachers to the school.  Since the school is in a rural area, 40 KM from the nearest town, many of the teachers that might be led to teach at DCS are not able because there is no lodging for their family.

Providing teachers and their families a place to live in order to do their best work is essential to the continued growth and development of DCS and the students.  This will help to improve the quality of teaching and learning at the school by attracting needed additional trained teachers and allowing existing teachers to focus their efforts.  Dwankhozi Hope is planning to support the construction of one building at this time.  As future funding dictates we will plan to build additional housing.

 

Textbook Project
Three installments to-date completed in Spring 2008, Fall of 2009 & Spring of 2010

Over the past three years, Dwankhozi Hope has been able to provide the school with funds for first through seventh grade textbooks. As the school expanded to include eighth grade and plans to add ninth grade, Dwankhozi Hope has extended this textbook support to the students in these new grades.  Textbook support will be an ongoing project as needs dictate.

 

Teachers Educational Support
On-going project – Sponsored our first teacher to pursue degree in Fall 2010

Many of the school’s teachers are yet to be trained due to lack of opportunity and funding, and thus volunteer their teaching services.  Other teachers are at various stages in their training and would benefit from opportunities to continue.

To support this need, textbooks for teacher education have been provided as resources for its teachers’ self-led training at Dwankhozi Community School.  Three textbooks which are part of a required reading list for teaching students at the University of Zambia have been provided.  Access to these textbooks will enhance teachers’ current knowledge about education and aid them in their training, which in turn, will enhance student learning at Dwankhozi Community School.

Beyond this, we also have commited to providing funding for formal teacher education is.  Though we hope to be able to expand this support in the near future, Dwankhozi Hope is providing the Teacher Education Program funding for one teacher at this time.  He is the Headmaster of the Dwankhozi Community School, a salaried teacher, and is continuing his education at Zambia Adventist University (ZAU).  Dwankhozi Hope has provided funding for tuition As he is a salaried teacher, he is able to pay for his own transportation, boarding, books, and other related costs.

 

Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) Latrines Project
Completed Winter 2010

Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) Latrines are a great improvement beyond the very basic pit latrines that previously existed.  The old latrines were small, unsanitary and there were too few for the number of students and staff.  The new and improved latrines not only have been increased in number more proportional to the population served, but they also provide greater privacy, better ventilation, and better basic sanitation to prevent the spread of disease and sickness amongst the students, teachers, and community.  This will help eliminate diarrhea and waterborne disease and help protect the ground water from leakage that could compromise the integrity of the water supply and borehole that recently constructed from funds provided by Dwankhozi Hope.  This will also help to insure better attendance by students as less time would be spent recovering from sickness, thus contributing to the educational improvement of the school.

 

Solar Power Project
Ongoing Project – Sponsored by subcommittee

The purpose of purchasing solar lights for the Dwankhonzi Community School is to give teachers more time to prepare for classes as well as students more time to study.  Currently there is no electricity in the area and limited lighting both in the school and in homes.  Days are shorter in Zambia and it is typically dark between 6:00 and 7:00 PM.  As a result of these factors, the ability for teachers to prepare in the evening is limited and students are also inhibited in studying for their classes or doing homework … Learn More.