Yesterday, after the long drive, we were still relaxing at the riverbank, the confluence of the Zambezi and Kafue rivers just 200 metres away from us. Now we have an appointment with lots of school children in just a few minutes.
Farao School is a village school. Before it was founded in 2008 by the villagers with the support of a German NGO, the children had to walk more than 5 km to the nearest state school, sometimes crossing the river. Since then, the school has grown year by year and now has more than 180 pupils in grades 1 to 7. Some of the teachers are now employed by the Ministry of Education.
We get a great welcome from the present children. A small group of them, led by the youngest girl, sings a few songs for us. We are then allowed to join two of the classes and take part in the lessons from the last row of benches.
We are also invited to visit the village store. Basic foodstuff is sold here, including the school’s eggs. This is one of several sources of income that have been deliberately built up.
The walk through the village with its widely scattered houses and huts is a sweaty affair. The heat in the Chirundu area is seen to be crazy, especially by people in the capital Lusaka, which, like the rest of Zambia, is located much higher at about 1250 metres.
Karin