The Happy Africa Foundation | Always moving forward. Always giving back.

Malota Community School Expansion

Malota Community School is one of the oldest schools in Maramba, Livingstone. The Malota compound is one of the most densely populated areas in the town; small run down shacks have been built back to back in every space available. Children play in the drainage ditches and the narrow tracks that pass as roads. Situated right in the heart of this busy, crowded compound and barely noticeable at first glance, lies Malota Community School. The Happy Africa Foundation and African Impact volunteers have recently finished a security wall, providing the students and teachers a safe haven from all the distractions and safety risks just outside the school’s walls.

Many of the children here come to school without adequate clothing; little boys’ wear dresses, ‘hand downs’ from an older daughter. Some children don’t have shoes. But it doesn’t stop their spirit; they laugh and shriek when they see any visitors approaching the school. They will stand close to you and shyly touch you to get your attention. The boys love to play football, or something close to it; it’s amazing how resourceful they can be when they don’t have a ball and space is limited. The girls will join in or will play their own games in the school’s small playground.

Approximately 150 children attend Malota School; however, there are only two small classrooms to accommodate all the children. So the children come to school at staggered times, sometimes for only as little as two hours, before they have to return home and the next children arrive. The Happy Africa Foundation’s next project at the school is to relocate the male and female latrines, to the back of the school to make space to build the new classrooms and allowing more students access to quality education. The new classroom block will reduce the need for hot seating so that students can spend more of their time at school rather than on the streets. The cost of the relocation of the latrines and the construction of the twin classroom and teacher’s office block is USD 24,000.

The school is hugely important to the community of Malota. As one of the poorest communities in Livingstone it struggles against the inevitable issues of petty crime. Education is critical to improving the lives of many in this disadvantaged but proud community. Together we hope that we can start to make a real, lasting difference in this, the heart of Livingstone.