From piggery to community school
Published On June 6, 2017 » 3531 Views» By Administrator Times » Features
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By GODFREY DUBE –

AS the adage goes, education is the key to success, and it is for this reason that Government and other stakeholders are pumping million of Kwacha to ensure that education standards are uplifted.
Open Arms Community School, located in Lusaka’s new Kasama area is a good example of efforts being put in ensuring that education is made available.
But originally, the structures of the school were used as a piggery.
The once successful piggery was run by Kutemba Konga.
But now, the days of the piggery are long.

•A Zambia Chinese Association member hands over donated foodstuff to Open Arms Community School pupils recently.

•A Zambia Chinese Association member hands over donated foodstuff to Open Arms Community School pupils recently.

The buildings have been developed into a thriving community school with more than 500 pupils.
The school carters for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVCs). It has been in existence for over 12 years now since the proprietor, Ms Konga, sacrificed her piggery business in order for the community to have access to education.
Ms Konga explained how she sacrificed her farm where she ran a business of rearing pigs in order for the community to have a school.
The lack of a school had caused increased community concern.
For years, Ms Konga had been praying for stakeholders to work with her in providing a solution to the community but she was beginning to think that her prayers fell on deaf ears.
Nevertheless, her plea eventually reached the Zambia Chinese Association which provided construction material worth K300,000 to transform the piggery.
The association also donated K10,000 towards paying salaries for teachers.
One would not understand the logic which was used to sacrifice the successful business of rearing pigs so that the community school, which was not even to one’s benefit, could be established.
That did not dissuade Ms Konga who went ahead and established the community schools.
She gave it the motto, ‘The Symbol of the Future Glory of Zambia,’ something she thought of as a way to motivate the pupils so that they do not look down on themselves but believe they are the future leaders of the country.
“It’s one way of motivating these children who have a dream of becoming leaders in the future; they are the symbol of future teachers, doctors, journalists and etcetera,” she said.
She said education is the only way people become equal and the children were the ones that would make the country proud even though they came from such a background.
It was not easy for Ms Konga to narrate the story behind the establishment of then school which was commemorating 12 years of its existence.
Ms Konga said she decided to give the school the name ‘Open Arms’ because most of the pupils are orphans while others have been raised by single parents.
She recalled that on the first day when the school opened, there were a total of 85 pupils learning from the shades of trees.
There was no textbook or a qualified teacher.
Ms Konga had to pick up abandoned desks and other pieces of furniture that had been discarded from Government schools in order to sustain the needs of the pupils.
“It was amazing for me because I never had an idea of what a community school was but the members of the community agreed to be donating buckets of maize as payments for a community teacher who was teaching the children,” she said.
Ms Konga said running the school was not easy.
But she is thankful to God that he gave the women in the community a heart of understanding and love.
It was these women in the community who mobilised themselves and started supporting her.
She recalled how the first form of support she received was from a group of women who donated material for the school children to have a uniform.
In addition to that, Standard Chartered Bank donated K5,000 for building a pit latrine.
That was in 2007.
Despite New Kasama having being a neighbourhood of the affluent, Ms Konga found it difficult to improve the school infrastructure to enable the children have a feel of how other children who attended Government schools felt.
The Zambia Chinese Association has now offered to construct a 3 by 1 classroom block as part of their social corporate responsibility.
The association pledged continued support to the community school.
Association Vice Chairperson Liu Xiuyi stressed the importance of education in the development of any country.
She said love and care must be given to orphans and the vulnerable children in society.
“We are delighted to make a donation worth K300,000 plus K10,000 cash to help improve the standards of this school,” she said.
The association also donated textbooks, a television set, a radio set, building materials, cleaning materials, and an assortment of food supplies.
“We hope you will continue to grow as vibrant pupils,” Ms Liu said.
Ms Liu, who expressed hope of improved education facilities at the school, said the association was committed to the improvement of the welfare of Open Arms Community School by making sure the pupils lucked nothing.
There is need for the country to develop strategies that will protect the rights of the children and provide fair participation in education development.
While Government has recognized the crucial role played by community schools, this has not translated into tangible material or financial support to Open Arms Community School.
However, the institution has remained hopeful that one day, it will attract and benefit from Government support.
Nevertheless, the school seems to be building partnerships as demonstrated by the community as well as the Zambia china Association whose donation is helping improve the condition of the school for the benefit of the vulnerable children.
Ms Konga appealed to well wishers and the corporate world to emulate Standard Chartered bank and Zambia China Association.
She said it is important for people not to throw away things they do not use because there are vulnerable children who do not have anything.
She said, it is time people learnt and listened to the cries of others if the country is to develop to the point of reaching the highest levels of education in the world.

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