A young man from Cheshire has built a brand new nursery school in the small village of Chazuka in Malawi, following a kayaking expedition that went wrong and nearly claimed his life.
Alex Hill, 24 at the time, set off on his ambitious expedition of the 3 Great Lakes of Africa back in 2016. Shortly after, disaster struck when treacherous weather caused him to lose control of his kayak. He washed up on the shores of the Malawian fishing village of Chazuka where he received a huge amount of warmth and hospitality from the local people.
AlexFor the six months following the near-fatal trip, Alex stayed in the village, which would soon become his second home and immersed himself in the community learning the local language, Chichewa. One day he was sitting underneath a mango tree, teaching children the alphabet and a young man approached and asked ‘Alex, can I be a teacher at your school?’ It was then that it became apparent that he had somehow unintentionally started a school.
Over the last three years, Alex has been working with the local community to build The Chazuka School, which opened its doors in February to 25 excited pupils and two teachers. The school belongs to the community and provides the children with literacy, numeracy, expressive arts and practical work.
As of 4th November 2019, Alex & the team achieved recognition as an official, registered U.K. charity, known as The Chazuka Project, which will provide operational, strategic and financial support to the school while also aiming to empower the children of Chazuka, and their families, to gain the knowledge, skills and confidence, to create life-changing opportunities for themselves.
If you would like further information about The Chazuka Project or are interested in an interview with Alex Hill, Co-founder and Trustee, please contact sara@thechazukaproject.org.