Libuyu Community School is an under-resourced primary school in the rural community of Livingstone, Zambia. In December of last year, we built three new classrooms at the school and dropped their teacher-to-student ratio from 1:80 to 1:45. The next step in improving the learning environment for their students is to build a wall fence around the perimeter of the school's property. A fence will keep unwanted people and elephants off of the property.
Currently, without a fence, the security of the students and staff is at risk. Trespassers, including elephants, are not only potentially dangerous, but they also distract the students from paying attention during important lessons as they walk past the classrooms and make noise. Vandalism and theft are also issues on weekends which diminishes the pride and value of the school. Being so under-resourced, these are often not things that the school is able to fix or replace.
A fence will provide a safer and more beneficial learning environment, meaning students will get a better education and have a greater chance of a prosperous future. We look forward to working with the principal and our long-time construction partner to make this fence a reality for the school and give their 500 students a better education and future.
Education provides a pathway out of poverty for youth. We saw the impact that building a fence has at one of our other partner schools in Livingstone - their average test scores increased by over 30%. The fence created a community of safe, proud, and motivated students.
