Branching out: Kachele is much more than a tree

Branching out: Kachele is much more than a tree

Kachele Primary School | Road2Hope 2023 Update

In a school yard in Eastern Zambia stand Kachele trees. Tall and wide, these trees have many uses.   

On a hot and sunny Zambian day, they provide shade and relief. On a rainy day, they create a canopy to provide shelter from the elements. In times of need, they have been a place for the community to gather and pray. They bear fruit for the birds who in turn spread seeds for more trees to grow.  

And, for most of the year, the Kachele trees serve as a classroom for Zambian students.   

The students come from Kachele Primary School, which serves serves students from kindergarten to grade 8. The young students come from almost a dozen surrounding communities.   

For years, the school has been expanding. With a lack of classrooms though, the school has had to rely on the Kachele trees as makeshift classrooms.   

Until now.  

This spring, Kachele Primary School has begun to build more classrooms!

Last fall, you ran in Road2Hope 2023. You rallied around a friend or family member and gave generously in support of their race. You cheered and prayed for a runner you knew, and the project they were running for.  

In whatever role you played – thank you.   

Your compassionate heart means that as you read this, construction is underway at Kachele Primary School! There, they are building more classrooms for all of their students.   

All of the materials are in place, and the local community is working with labourers to lay the brick. The new classrooms will be finished in time for the fall semester!  

Makoba Mofya, a grade 5 teacher at Kachele Primary School, celebrates that construction has begun! When she thinks about the new space, she hopes this new space will be a place for students “To know and appreciate God in everything that they do, and to know and appreciate what God is doing in their lives”.   

Your generosity plays a role in seeing Makoba’s hope realized! Thank you.   

In 2023, Road2Hope participants ran in support of the construction of more classrooms at Kachele Primary School in Zambia. This year, we’re raising funds for skills training programs for girls in Guatemala.   

You can learn more about the race and sign up here!