Mapepe

Mapepe is a village situated in the Chilanga region on the outskirts of Lusaka city. Project Zambia began working with them in 2006 and has since helped to transform a room made from old pipes into a recognisable school building now called Blessed Hope School. We have also built community houses and established a feeding programme as well as income generating projects such as a chicken run and a piggery. 

More recently, Project Zambia has worked closely with the school and community leaders to solidify our partnership. We have a partnership agreement with the community and school which includes the oversight of the minister for education in the region, to ensure that all our work meets government standards and allows us to enlist the help of local authorities when possible. 

In 2019 PZ took on a new challenge in launching a home-based care team in the village. With the help of the red cross, members of the community have been trained to administer first aid to their neighbours. They have been given first aid supplies to continue this work. And, as this is a long-term project, we are working on a way to ensure the home-based care team receive regular funding to allow for visits to hospital for patients in need of more intense medical treatment. 

Mapepe is a community living on the very margins of society; they are often forgotten. However, this doesn’t stop them from being welcoming, friendly and resilient. Facing hard times, they fight back and do it with a hope that inspires us all. Mapepe is a unique community for Project Zambia to work with as it not only entails improving the lives of students and teachers in the Blessed Hope School, but also requires us to work on advancing community infrastructure and securing an overdue healthcare system for all who live in Mapepe. 

Project Zambia is grateful for the working relationship we have with the Mapepe community and we look forward excitedly to making great changes together for the betterment of the village and their future generations. 

List of Achievements

Partnership

Project Zambia have partnership agreements with each host community as a way of holding each other accountable, highlight our history together and to create short term and long term goals for the future. Documents are reviewed regularly to ensure all parties are happy with progress and have the same vision going forward. We work as co-equals throughout the development of each project to ensure we progess in the most efficient way possible.


What have we done:

  • Built multiple buildings for Blessed hope School including classrooms and toilets

  • Built homes for vulnerable members of the community

  • Provided income generating projects such as a piggery and chicken run

  • Installed multiple water towers for the community

  • Establish and train a Home Based Care team to administer first aid for locals.

  • Installed an electricity generator for the school

  • renovated a store room in the school, making it secure so that test papers could be stored and pupils can sit public exams on site