"Absolutely
stunning - we spent most of the time
speechless - so impressed with the thought
and attention to detail. A really fabulous
place for children to learn."
June and Richard Chapman, Oxford,
England |
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Chipembele
News |
July 2007
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In This
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Quick Links
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Greetings from
a dry and warm Luangwa Valley. It is now coming to the end of the
'winter', though the Valley is not as cold as most places in Zambia.
Lusaka can fall to zero but here temperatures rarely fall below 10
degrees C even at night. By the end of July temperatures will start
to rise again. We keep reminding ourselves how pleasant the climate
actually is, before the searing heat during September to November
descends on us again!
The Luangwa River is dropping steadily and we are enjoyng
watching and listening to the hippos before they move away from
Chipembele to deeper water in a month or so.
We were thrilled to have a wild dog on our land on 6th July. It
was chasing impalas across the drive and hoo-ing to other members of
the pack (which unfortunately we never saw). The last time we saw
them on our land was in 2003 which indicates just how rare they are.
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In early May,
Chipembele's first ever volunteer arrived in Mfuwe. Ian Bremner, a
documentary film producer, had taken a break from the pressures of
work in the UK to project manage the construction of a 48 bed
dormitory at Mfuwe Secondary School. Ian found frustrations and
stress here too, only of a much different kind! (Logistics can be a
nightmare and 'Africa time' is something you have to live
with).
The Dormitory
Appeal had been co-ordinated by Chipembele Trust in the UK for over
two years.Thanks to the generous donations of many friends and
supporters the target of 12,000 pounds was reached earlier this year
though the spiralling costs of cement (550 bags at 8 pounds a bag!)
meant more funds were needed. In addition there are plans to buy
bunk beds, mattresses, lockers and build an ablution block so the
fund remains very much open!
Currently the
girls boarders currently live in a small 3 bedroom house without
beds or furniture of any description. It was after Ian saw the
terrible conditions himself in 2006 that he later agreed to
volunteer to manage the project. He also contributes to the rent of
the current girls house. He very generously paid for his own flights
and his accommodation and living expenses in Mfuwe. He has done a
sterling job thus far.
The dormitory
is now in the process of being plastered and is on schedule to be
completed by 17th August. (On schedule in Africa?
Amazing!).
Our sincerest
thanks go to Ian... we look forward to reading the book (we know
there'll be some hilarious stories but please change the names to
protect the innocent!). | |
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Forget the latest
Play Station, X-Box or skateboard, here the latest fad is wind-up torches!
Several of our supporters have bought them for their sponsored pupils.
Working Hand in Hand, a US non-profit organisation that supports
Chipembele, has sent out dozens and they are greatly sought after and
envied by both pupils and teachers alike. Requiring no batteries, they
allow pupils to read at night in homes where there is no electricity and
where even candles are low down on the list of
essentials.
Mfuwe Secondary
School ran end of term tests and 8 wind-up torches were awarded to the top
pupils in each of the 5 grades.They are not yet available in Zambia so if
any supporters would like to send something really useful for a Zambian
pupil wind up torches have to be top of the list! |
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Chipembele has been
assisting a wood carving group at Kakumbi Basic School. Peter Albert Zulu,
a local wood carver, has been attending the school once or twice a week
during term time and in the holidays for the last year on a
completely voluntary basis to teach pupils how to carve wood for sale to
tourists. "I want to pass on my skills to the next generation so they
can also benefit." said Peter.
The teachers selected
a small group of 10 pupils, who showed particular interest and promise,
for Peter to work with. Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust provides the
sandpaper, polish, chisels and other tools and Peter supplies the wood.
(Most of the tools were donated by Operation Sunshine in the UK, for which
we are truly grateful.) He draws the outline of the animals or figures on
the wood and supervises the work but all the carving is carried out by the
pupils themselves. The standard is amazingly high. Peter and the school
have even organised for the items to be sold on a stall at a Community
Craft Market at Tribal Textiles in Mfuwe.
50% of the cost goes
to the pupil who carved the item and 50% to Peter Zulu to cover the cost
of the wood and to encourage his continued work at the school. If you
would like to support this commendable project please e-mail Anna for more
information. |
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The 2007 Mfuwe
Schools calendar was a great hit and copies sold like hot cakes. All the
profits went to the local schools and Chipembele was able to donate $1000
to Mfuwe Secondary School to help them equip a computer room (set up by
Chipembele) with furniture.
A 2008 calendar is
being prepared again by Sarah Solomon and its publication is being
sponsored by the Royal Danish Embassy. Anna organised a drawing
competition amongst 7 of the local schools so that 12 of the best could be
selected for the calendar. Prizes were awarded to the top 3 entries in
each school, the theme being, 'Life in the Luangwa
Valley'.
Extra calendars are
being produced this year and it is hoped even more funds will be produced
this year (100% of the sales go directly to the
schools). |
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Sprite the bushbuck
(raised by Steve and Anna in 2002 after being orphaned) has finally
revealed a baby. We have suspected her to be pregnant or lactating on
several occassions but never saw a baby, until April of this year. She
brings her regularly to the house to drink water and although we are still
able to stroke Sprite her baby thankfully remains shy and suspicious, and
runs for cover whenever we are closer than 20m away.
Most bushbucks have
spots and stripes on each side. Sprite has stripes on one side, spots on
the other (hence the name, it has nothing to do with the drink!). Her
'baby ' (now at least 6 months old) has no stripes at all, only spots,
which is quite rare. |
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Goldie the yellow
baboon arrived at Chipembele in July and is charming everyone with her
playful antics. She was orphaned after villagers in Chipata killed her
mother for meat but took her baby to local farmers because there wasn't
enough meat on her to bother with. The farmers raised her for 3 months but
as there was no troop nearby decided she would be better off in the
Luangwa Valley where she stands a good chance of rehabilitation to the
wild.
Goldie is of course a
handful but has yet to break or steal anything... unlike many of the
monkeys we have raised! We are hopeful she will soon be able to be
rehabilitated to a local troop. |
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Wishing you all the
very best from Chipembele, until next time,
Steve and Anna
Chipembele Wildlife
is a Zambian registered charitable trust, registration number 41317. It is
supported by Chipembele Trust, registered UK charity, number
1107698.
Chipembele...
teaching Zambian children the value of wildlife
Steve and Anna
Tolan
Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust
phone: ++-260-6-246108
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Newsletter
08/12/2006
