PILGRIM COMMUNITY SCHOOL
In May 2014, a ceremony took place where a foundation plinth was laid for the school. Many headmen came from the surrounding area to bless the school and its future.
Members of the community cooked nshima (maize porridge) for the evening meal.
In 2015, the school was constructed with clay dug from the riverside, made into bricks and wood fired in a kiln.
Local families carried out the work, including many young children who were desperate for the opportunity to attend school.
Mothers also carried the heavy bricks.
Initially one classroom was built, with one teacher. The children were very eager to start school for the first time on 10th June 2016! .
The children were given books for the first time. At first they weren’t quite sure how to open them.
The girl on the right was the only one we saw who had a special toy of her own.
Parents are also keen to learn basic literacy, so adult literacy classes are also being run at the school. Here are the first people to attend - before there were any desks!
Playing in the playground with new balls given by visitors from UK.
first new teacher’s house - November 2022
There is now a thriving Parent Teachers’ Association at Pilgrim School. October 2023
July 2025 - one of the older girls taking a school assembly at the start of the day. There are now three classrooms, with a fourth to be built soon, and 150 children registered at the school. Three teachers are employed at present. (See Blog)
In August 2025, 14 girls and 1 boy went to Serenje (the nearest town - 15 miles away) to take their exams to go to Secondary School (see Blog)