Updates - KAFAKUMBA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

COVID - 19 Update

The decision to close schools in Zambia was made in March in an effort to contain the spread of the pandemic. At this time the Zambian government still as all schools closed with the exception of some examination classes (grades 7 & 9). We are pleased that for the past 5 months we have continued to be able to pay our teachers their salaries as well as check up on our students and treat any illnesses. With no definitive end in sight for school closures, our school board met at the end of July to decide how we could best move forward. As virtual learning is not a possibility here given our circumstances the decision was made to do one on one visits to each childs home for safe in person instruction. This is one of the perks of limiting classroom size! Each teacher is now expected to meet with each student on their roster for at least 2 hours every week. We have had small masks locally made for each student and made sure to spend the first week of meeting taking the time to discuss the pandemic, what it means, why things are the way they are, go over how to stay safe, and answer any questions the students or their parents might have. Most often the teacher and student will meet just outside the home or at a local village church. Having this time to go "door to door" has had the added benefit of allowing our teachers to connect with their students' families, update our information about each child, and have a visual check on how things generally seem to be going. Although we look forward to when we can be back in the classrooms, we are grateful for the continued education we are able to provide during these unfortunate times. Stay tuned for pictures and videos soon!