The construction of a classroom block at Lesedi Primary School is taking shape thanks to the generosity of Grand Circle Foundation (GCF) and guests of Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT). The walls of the new Grade 6 classrooms are now up, keeping on track for construction to be complete before the end of the year.
Founded in 2014 and located 14 kilometres from the town of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, the school has been steadily growing year by year to cater for a growing number of students and provide the children of the surrounding area – Ntabayengwe Village – with a quality education. Currently only up to Grade 5, with an enrolment of 223 and approximately 35 students per grade, this will grow next year as the current Grade 5s move to Grade 6. Lesedi Primary needed a new classroom block to cater for next year’s Grade 6s, and this addition means that current Grade 5 students will be guaranteed to stay at the school as they move up a grade, benefiting them as they won’t have to travel longer distances to another school for the remainder of their primary education. While school expansion to cater for students’ learning needs should be the responsibility of the government, economic challenges and cash-strapped departments mean that no further money is put into education. This leads to challenges within schools to adequately cater for a growing number of students and ensure that students are able to receive a quality education.
On a recent visit to Lesedi, builders were working hard on the superstructure, which was phase 2 of the project. Once this is complete, the roof will be built, and then the classroom furnished ready for the start of 2020. This ongoing process will provide a good talking point for the trip leaders on visits to Lesedi with OAT guests, and we are so grateful for the continued support from GCF and OAT.
