admin
Phyllis Kachere
Deputy News Editor,
Convergence
Established in 2015 in the arid Ward 6 of Binga district, Samende Secondary School’s classroom blocks have since then been rudimentary structures with only a tin roof and no walls.
There was not a single teachers’ house. The few teachers who could endure these harsh conditions, including the headmaster, had to be accommodated at Samende Primary School, about 5km away.
Today, the school boasts of three brand new modern classroom blocks, three five-roomed teachers’ quarters and a nutrition garden.
School head Mr Canaan Muleya, could not hide his joy and relief as he narrated to a visiting media team how the construction of the new structures took literary a matter of days owing to the setting up of the Red Cross/United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) piped water scheme at the school.
“Construction of these classroom blocks took at most a month to complete because of the availability of water that was facilitated by the Red Cross and UNICEF,” he said.
“This area is arid and water is a challenge.
“The community has really been struggling to bring water to the school. But once piped water was installed, the first teachers’ house was completed in 28 days.
“That classroom block you see there was completed within 31 days.
“We are grateful to Government’s development partners for coming in to help us contribute in achieving Vision 2030.”
Mr Muleya said when the school was opened in 2015, it only had less than 100 pupils and a few teachers, but now it has an enrolment of 243 learners and a staff complement of 11 teachers.
“You may not believe this, but now I am overwhelmed with calls from prospective teachers who want to join us,” he said. “We now have modern teachers’ accommodation and classrooms with piped water. We also have a nutrition garden that has helped our pupils as they carry out their practical agriculture lessons.”
The piped water facilities are also benefiting about 1 000 households in Fulanga, Siakula, Siyamajiti, Siamuloba in the Sibalenge area, among others.
“We had a serious water challenge in this area,” said Mrs Sophia Mukuli (70) of Siyamajiti 5.
“We used to walk long distances in search of water. To make it worse, this area is infested with dangerous wildlife. Our livestock is also benefiting from the piped water.
“You can imagine the dangers women and children encountered while walking long distances in search of water.
“Even old women like me used to walk long distances of more than 20km (to and fro) in search of water.
“We thank these Red Cross and UNICEF people. May God bless them. Twalumba loko.”
Mr Moffat Mukuli, who is the community’s secretary, said while Red Cross and UNICEF brought the equipment, they contributed their labour to set up the piped water scheme.
“We are grateful for the assistance that was brought by Red Cross,” he said.
“Had it not been for their piped water scheme, women and girls would still be walking long distances in search of water. Even the construction of the secondary school (Samende) would have remained a pipe dream.
“The construction of the school and the provision of piped water at our doorstep has meant that our girl child is kept in school longer.
“We have a challenge of child marriages. The availability of piped water has removed some of the enabling environment for young girls to elope.”
The pipe water scheme has also brought with it an opportunity for setting up a nutrition garden in Munyeche Village.
Community projects caretaker Mr Shepherd Fulunga said the nutrition garden has not only provided good nutrition for the children, but has also become an income generating project as the surplus vegetables are sold.
“The women who grow vegetables in the garden are also earning a living while also ensuring good and healthy nutrition for their families especially in Siamvikeni Village,” said Mr Fulunga.
Online Reporter