On 30th November 2021, whilst on a gap year, I went on a white water rafting trip on the Zambezi. It was during this trip that I was attacked by a crocodile.

The chances of being attacked by a crocodile while in white water are extremely slim, and the chances of surviving such an attack are even slimmer. I however was extremely lucky to have friends around me who saved my life. I did sustain some quite serious injuries but, due to my friends and the amazing medical care I received, I was able to survive and will be able to near-fully recover.

In order to enable a huge amount of positivity to come out of the accident, I decided to found the Zambezi School Project. At first, I aimed to build a preschool for 104 children living in Muke and Delevu Villages, both near Livingstone in Zambia. The children of Muke Village were being taught by the most amazing teacher, Clare, on the floor of their village church, which obviously did not allow them to reach their full potential. Delevu Village was in a similar situation, with no school building existing in the village. Since starting the school build in April 2022, the Zambezi School Project has grown hugely, and we now school children from five local villages. At Twabane Luzibo, the ages of students range from two to sixteen and the children are taught in a variety of subjects, giving them the chance at life they so deserve.

Twabane Luzibo, meaning sharing in knowledge in Lozi, was chosen as a name for the school to represent how much this project is aiding local communities as well as all of the children attending.

It is well-known that education is the best route out of poverty, and Zambia ranks among the countries with the highest levels of poverty and inequality globally. 58% of people live below the poverty line, earning less than $1.90 per day. The skills taught in pre and primary school are vital to enable any further education which is why it is important to me that these children are given the best start possible.

Whilst much of the project was focused on building the school, it is also important to be able to continue to financially support it for future Twabane Luzibo School children. This is why we are continuing to fundraise and provide vital opportunities for such a deserving community. We are now moving our focus to raising money for a school bus, which is essential to enable all the children to attend the school on a daily basis. Especially as the furthest village from the school is about 13 km away. At the moment, the biggest barrier to education for some children is a lack of transport. Being able to raise enough money to fund this would be life-changing to so many.

This project has allowed so much positivity to stem from the attack and will better hundreds of lives for years to come. Many of these children had never written on a piece of paper, let alone sat at a desk, so it is clear to see how much something like this can change everything.

It has been amazing to see how much this project has changed lives. Every builder who was a part of this project lives within walking distance from the school and six local teachers are now employed, not only giving the children an educational lifeline, but the teachers as well.

In order to continue to fund this project, I have set up this Just Giving page and would be so grateful for any donations, no matter how big or small. I am posting updates about the project on Instagram- @zambezischoolproject.

Lots of love & thank you,

Amelie Osborn-Smith