The Works and Fruits of Tujatane, Tongabezi Trust School
Author: Evans Mwitumwa Photos: Tujatane, Tongabezi Trust School
T
ujatane, Tongabezi Trust School is situated about 25 kilometers from Livingstone town off the Kazungula/ Sesheke route and just a stone throw from the Zambezi River. The story of Tujatane is a true manifestation of service to the community from an abundance of sacrifice and genuine love for humanity. Vanessa Parker, who founded Tujatane, Tongabezi Trust School in 1996, had earlier come to Zambia as a volunteer offering Math at the trade school, now LIBES. Vanessa has been working at the school since 1996 been working at the school. She continues to be Director of the school working on voluntary basis and no doubt offering substantial guidance and counsel to the academic team. She further works hand in hand with a Board of Trustees in England and a local Board. Both boards are working hand in hand to see the school move to the next level. The members of the boards are men and women of diverse expertise guaranteeing the school a continued existence.
their futures and to enable them to get out of the poverty trap that currently exists. The children who attended Tujatane initially were generally children of the employees of Tongabezi Lodge and as the school grew it became a community school that catered for the wider community of Simonga. All children walk to school, many from as far away as 7km and live in homes with no running water. The connection between Tongabezi Lodge and Tujatane is to a great extent what has made Tujatane what it is today. Benjamin Parker, the husband to Vanessa Parker and Director of Tongabezi and Sindabezi Lodges has been a massive support. The school is built on Tongabezi Lodge land and guests that come to the lodge often visit the school and some are instrumental in major ways; they offer donations and some generously offer sponsorship by either sponsoring a child or sponsoring other activities in the school. Further, from the birth of the school, Benjamin Parker together with his Tongabezi team has provided services and support to the school including catering for the Christmas party for the pupils and with provision of resources for the purchase of gifts for the children and other forms of entertainment. Clearly, in the tough Zambian economy and indeed the local community of Simoonga and surrounding areas, children are privileged a rare opportunity to still feel like children and roam into different avenues of childhood – thanks to Benjamin Parker and other partners.
Tujatane is a Tonga word which literary means holding hands. The idea to start Tujatane, Tongabezi Trust School was born from a realization that the local community was thirsty for an education and from the wish from the Tongabezi Lodge staff to be able to offer their children an education which they had not had the chance of going through themselves. Many parents have not completed primary level education. The school was set up to enable the children in the local community to acquire the necessary knowledge From an initial number of 15 little boys and girls, the and skills to take full advantage of opportunities in school now has a total number of 275 pupils. The school runs from pre-school to Grade 9. The chil28
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