Land and lake Safaris

Land & Lake Safaris 2011

Dzalanyama Project

Girls Domitory Before	Classroom before

Dzalanyama is a range of steep sided hills NW - SE direction running for 70 km and forming the border, between Malawi and Mozambique. From 1911 it had been part of the Central Angoni Highlands Game Reserve. It was gazetted as a reserve in 1922 – and from 1930 it was actively forested.  

In 1999 Land and Lake Safaris won the tender to operate the lodge for the next 20 years. Extensive internal and external renovations and improvements were made and the lodge is now comfortable, clean, safe and the perfect place to unwind. To further strengthen ties with the community, Land & Lake offered support to the residents in the area. After various meetings, it was decided that the local school would be the recipient of Land & Lakes support.

Girls Domitory completed	Classroom completed	Students outside benches

In the initial years, the classrooms were whitewashed on an annual basis, and some repairs were made to the facilities.  A wildlife club was set up with the assistance of the Lilongwe Branch of the Wildlife Society of Malawi. The project moved into the next phase in July 2003 when 14 students, under the guidance of Claire Davidson from Ridgeway School, Plympton and King Edward VI School, Stafford traveled to Malawi with World Challenge to help renovate the School.  In 2004 Mark and Claire Davidson return to the school to launch a building project: a derelict barn which was to become a dormitory for the female students, who were living in the staff room.

Ridgeway School has a history of local community work, which helped lay the foundations for the support. Claires’s and her husband, Mark’s, enthusiasm and driving force, motivated the entire school and community to support the project. Funds were raised, students produced teaching aids for Dzalanyama School and the outcome went beyond the original target. Not only was the dorm built in Malawi, but they managed to build a second dorm and installed an eco latrine. 

From these humble beginnings, the project rolls over each year and each year groups of volunteers, be they adults or students visit Dzalanyama and contribute to what is needed.  

The Classrooms have received new coats of paint annually, repairs to blackboards and notice boards are done each year, educational murals have been painted, the staff room was rehabilitated to better cater for the teachers, a lot of educational materials, books, clothes and sporting equipment have been donated. The school toilets were repaired and put into working order and the boys dormitory was renovated. The girls 2 roomed dorm was also completely reconstructed.  

The students and teachers at Dzalanyama School remain extremely supportive of the efforts of all the various volunteers and their contributions and Land and Lake will ensure this continues into the future.  The next big project that is planned is construction of teacher’s houses, however there is always repairs and decorating needed so it’s a year on year project. There are still capital intensive projects needed like supplying the school with desks – students currently sit on the floor of the classrooms. Once finances have been secured, we will be able to purchase desks. 

Dzalanyama makes for a perfect stop on any travel itinerary around Malawi as the students are friendly and one can contribute positively to a worthy cause. Land and Lake, as custodians of the project, ensure that the school is consulted prior to projects being implemented and that both the school and the volunteers receive maximum benefit from this interaction.  

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