Katuba is a remote village situated deep in the bush in the Kapiri Mposhi district. In 2002 the 1,000 strong community set up a makeshift school made of mud and thatch so their children did not have to trek 8km along dirt roads to their daily lessons.
Thanks to the grant made by Meeting Needs the Katuba community has been transformed. From fundraising we were able to make a donation of £4,556 which contributed towards the cost of installing solar power at the newly constructed community school. The panels provide power for electric lighting and electrical sockets. Other successes of the project were;
- Trained 20 local men and women in basic construction skills to a national standard so that they can increase their
- Constructed one of two hexagonal classroom blocks with
- Constructed a rammed earth house to trigger the deployment of a qualified teacher by the
- Constructed a latrine block with hand washing to improve access to sanitation and
- Installed a water pump that provides clean water to the whole
- Solar power
Solar power installation
By installing the solar panel onto the roof of the new classroom block, which was completed in June, provides power to the classrooms allowing activities such as homework clubs and adult literacy classes to take place after it goes dark.
Solar power also means that the school has the opportunity to generate an income, letting out classrooms space for meetings or providing mobile phone charging facilities.
You can see for yourself the impact this development has had on the village by watching this short YouTube clip here …. Project video diary