Tusoleke Trust School Zambia

Tusoleke Trust School is a preschool in the small Zambian village of Muke, 20 km from Livingstone. The school was opened in 2020 by Alex Jakanani, starting with 10 students. In the early days, classes were held in the local church due to the lack of infrastructure. Later, a shelter made of plastic was built as a substitute for a school building. Two years after the school’s opening, in 2022, thanks to donations, a small building made of clay was built for the 40 students.

Alex decided to open a school in Muke, because previously the children living in Muke had to walk 5 km to the next village to go to school. The only way to get there was to walk along the highway. Due to the dangerous nature of this walk, in the past two years, there have been accidents involving vehicles and young children (age 8-9). Traffic is not the only source of danger, but also the local fauna, such as snakes or elephants, which the children may encounter on the way.

Because of these dangers, many parents in Muke have decided not to send their children to school. This meant that before the Tusoleke Trust School was built, the children either had to walk a dangerous route to school or had no access to education at all.

As of August 2023 the school has 3 volunteer teachers and 2 cooks for approximately 47 students. The school also welcomes volunteers from around the world to help with teaching, building and fundraising. More than 17 people have volunteered here since starting the volunteer program in 2022.