Chunga Boarding School

We are often asked “What kind of work are you doing?” I want to take an opportunity to explain one of the tasks we have taken on, and show you some pictures.

Our general task in Zambia is to work with local MCC partner organizations, to help them with their general organizational development. This can take very many different forms, it all really depends on what challenges they are facing. The first organization that we have worked with is “Full Proof Mission”, a name taken from the King James Bible (2^nd Timothy 4:5). Full Proof runs a drop-in centre for street kids, called Chisomo, right in the middle of Lusaka. Zambia has a growing street child population, for a great number of reasons, including the breakdown of the family unit due to HIV/AIDS. Chisomo, which is supported by MCC, has a great program for the street kids, including hygiene, feeding, education, and also re-uniting children with parents. . The ultimate aim of Chisomo is to reunite children with their families, if possible their mothers or fathers, or relatives. During the reunification process, Chisomo also tries to provide support for the families, because they are usually very poor, which is sometimes the reason the children left home in the first place. . My job with Chisomo is to develop a cost model and strategic plan and for growth, since they know that there are a lot more street kids out there that they could serve.

On any given day, about 50 street kids attend Chisomo, where they are clothed, fed, washed, and their clothes are cleaned up as well. If they want (and not all do), they can attend school, right on the Chisomo property in one of two classrooms. Some children become regulars at Chisomo, and some of the regulars are fortunate enough to be sponsored to go to Chunga Boarding School. I was lucky enough to go along on a trip to Chunga, which is about four hours west of Lusaka, right in the middle of a national park. The school was originally built for the children of the park rangers, back in the 60s.

Some of the housing at Chunga Boarding School

Now, when I think boarding school, I tend to think of rich British boys in short pants in a very large mansion type place. This school is not like that! First of all, there is no electricity. Second of all, these kids are almost all very poor. The tuition is about 350,000 Kwacha per term, which includes the boarding fee. That’s about C$70. By the time all costs are figure in, it costs Chisomo about 2 Million Kwacha (about $C400) a year to place a child in Chunga. The conditions are a bit primitive.

The “dorms” are concrete block rooms, only some of which have beds, and there are between six and eight kids to a room.

The cooking is typical Zambian fare, lots of Nshima (Maize pudding, like white corn polenta) and “relish”, which is usually something like cooked up greens or cabbage and tomatoes, which the Nshima is served with. (Zambians love this stuff, they eat it two or three meals a day, and declare that they haven’t had a meal until they have eaten Nshima.)

Mmmm..25 KG of Nshima, just enough for lunch

The primitive conditions hide the fact that this school is very successful. Zambia has a national grade seven and grade nine exams, and exam pass rates are a reasonable indication of how good a school is. This school had a grade seven exam pass rate of over 70%, which puts it near the top for Zambian schools, especially government schools. You could tell when talking to the headmaster how dedicated he was to his school, and I guess his dedication also shows in the test results.

Our trip to Chunga was to check on the kids from Chisomo who were enrolled there. They were having a great time, and were keen to take the grade seven exam, which was a very good sign that they understand the value of an education, and also developing goals beyond living on the street. I think the boarding school setting, which is much more structured than living on the street, provides a safe place for these kids to be kids again and to give them a second chance. The kids I talked to really loved it and wanted to stay.

Checking in with the Chisomo Kids.
The older fellow is Aaron Chilunjika, the Chisomo director.

Of course, since Chunga is in the middle of a national park, there are also lots of wild animals (including big cats). After dark, the kids are not allowed to leave the dorms because the animals walk around the campus. I guess that is a strong disincentive to running away.

Not your average school playground