In July 2019 I am taking 11 days to walk the Camino Portuguese, a 280kms coastal hike from Porto to Santiago de Compostella. Every penny raised through sponsorship will directly benefit the pupils of Chisuma Primary School; it would be fantastic if I could raise enough to provide text books in the core subjects of English, maths and science for every pupil, to provide the paint to repaint the whole school to include a blackboard wall for outdoor teaching (the labour being provided by staff, parents, villagers and me!), and to provide a basic lunch for every pupil every school day for a year. And, if there is any surplus, it will be used to pay the US$ 25 termly school fees for any child currently unable to attend school due to their parents inability to pay. And, if I can raise £3500+, I will be able to replace 10 wooden classroom doors with metal ones that touch the floor - and that means no more snakes getting into the classrooms!

Chisuma Primary School, situated some 26kms from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, provides education for children up to the age of 12 living in rural communities. There are currently 386 pupils on roll, many of whom walk up to 7kms just to get to school each day. The school has 4 double classrooms, each for 80+ pupils, and there are 11 teachers, including the Headmaster and his Deputy. Local women come in each day to cook a basic lunch for the pupils - sadza, a cornmeal based porridge, is cooked over an open fire - and for some, this will be their only meal of the day. Parents are asked to contribute $1 each towards this, but not everyone is able to afford it and without aid, the catering can be inconsistent.

In 2017 I had the privilege of visiting the school. At that time, only 3 of the 4 classrooms were in use; the 4th had fallen down, and was but a pile of rubble. Donations secured a rebuild, and I raised further funds to furnish the classroom with locally sourced desks and chairs. During a second visit to the school in 2018, I took with me some sports equipment, musical instruments and used some of the funds to commission a local seamstress to make some school uniforms for those without. Whilst dedicated to raising funds for the school, I have also challenged them to consider what the community can do to provide assistance. So far, this has been limited to providing labour for any projects, but we are also looking at ways in which up-cycling can be maximised, with local craftsmen using waste materials to make items for the school, e.g. goal posts for football, or bench seats.

This will be the hardest challenge I have ever done, both physically and mentally, but your support - and most importantly your donation - will keep me going, however hard and painful each step is! Thank you so much for whatever you are able to donate. Trust me, it's worth it and directly impacts the lives of these children.