Helping the Zambian community
Last year one of our architects Kirsten, spent a month in Zambia helping to build a new kindergarten with CAUKIN Studio. The project is now complete giving Early Years Learning to 60 children per year that did not previously have the opportunity.
With 15 other volunteers, and a number of local Zambian workers, Kirsten spent her time brick laying, block laying, fabricating steel doors, windows and roof trusses, setting out brick columns and mixing concrete (by hand!)
“Shiyala Primary School is constantly growing, with 1000+ children in attendance. With no early age education, the local children are already starting off their journey into education on the back foot. The school required a dedicated kindergarten that will allow the students access to education from a younger age, increasing chances of success later in life.” (CAUKIN, 2021)
Being away for a month allowed the team to integrate in to Zambian life and close bonds were formed with each other and the Zambian workers, who welcomed everyone in to their homes and families with lots of food, dancing and laughter. We cannot wait to see how to kindergarten progresses as time goes on, once it is finished and the children and teachers are in using the space.
It wasn’t all hard work, at the weekends the team visited Victoria Falls which were enjoyed both on the water itself, with some very extreme white water rafting (which was terrifying!), and from above from the various viewpoints.
