Project Details
Following a successful recce trip to Zambia May 2008, we agreed on a suitable project and venue for our party. We spent most of time while in Zambia wi
th the representatives of the Zambian Scout Association who were very useful and helpful to us during our stay. After looking at a number of possibilities for the project and the relaxation period we have decided that the best option for all parties concerned is to offer our services in the Northern Province of Zambia. This area has been overlooked for help for many years and the whole area has slowly run down. We propose to go to the Chinsali District which is about 950 kilometres north of Lusaka, the capital. There are a few problems in choosing this area but with the help of the National Scout Association the majority of these should be easily overcome.
Chinsali District lies on the watershed between the Chambeshi River in the Congo basin and the Luangwa River in the Zambezi basin. The north eastern half of the district is a relatively flat plateau at about 1200-1300 metres. The south western half has an attractive landscape of granite hills with and elevation of 1500-1600 metres which includes the country estate of Shiwa Ng'andu. 
The proposed site for the project is the Kapisha Middle Basic School. The school currently consists of two double classrooms, but has recently loss their Grade 8 and 9 children due to the fact that they do not have a separate classroom for these grades. In order to have these facilities restored the local community were planning, as a temporary measure, to construct two classrooms from mud and thatch. The proposal is to construct another double classroom one of which will be able to be used by the local community for community meetings and may also be sub divided at a later date in order to provide computer facilities for the children. All training required for this project will be given (probably as part of training weekends) over the next twelve months. We shall be camping at Kapishya Hot Springs, and cooking on open fires, for the duration of this project and hope to have some of the local Scouts and Girls Brigade camping and working alongs
ide our party.
The school is situated at Kapisha on the Shiwa Ng'andu estate within Chinsali District. It was initially established in 1967. Over the last few years the school had managed to revamp these Classrooms, as a possible second part of our project, we propose to help complete the refurbishment of these classrooms, subject to available manpower and finance. This could include new desks, classroom resources and teaching aids.
Chinsali was the birth place and home of Dr Kenneth Kaunda who was Zambia’s first president for about 30 years and currently the Chief Scout of Zambia. He is very interested in our project and offered to support us in any way that he can. We have also visited the British High Commission and the Education Department of the Zambia Government who also gave us their support.
While in area in 2008 we met some of the current Scouts and Girls Brigade members who were all interested in helping us for the duration of our stay in Zambia. The National Scout Association along with the Zambia Girls Brigade has been of great help to us and the project would not be viable without their continued help and support.
The school is the heart of the local community and close cooperation between our party and the local community has already been established. As part of their commitment they will be providing all the sand, crushed stone and organising the manufacture of about 20,000 bricks that will be required. In May 2009 the community had already started to dig the foundations in preparation for arrival of our party.
The project is costing in the region of £35,000 and is fully self funded by the members of the team
It is important that our members from the UK benefit from this expedition as well as the local community in Zambia. We were looking at the possibility of taking the whole party on a short safari during a relaxation period at the end of our expedition. Due to the vast distances involved we have planned to take the members in two parties into the local North Luangwa National Park for two or three days during the period that we shall be at Kapisha. This will enable all our members to see some of the African animals in their natural environment.
Doug Corbin - Expedition Leader