Welcome to the Zambezi School Project! Our journey began with an extraordinary and life-changing event on 30th November 2021. During a gap year adventure, I (Amelie Osborn-Smith) found myself facing a life-threatening crocodile attack while white water rafting on the Zambezi River. The odds of such an attack are incredibly slim, and surviving it is even rarer. Thanks to the swift and brave actions of my friends and the outstanding medical care I received, I survived, though I sustained serious injuries. This near-tragic experience inspired me to channel the ordeal into something profoundly positive and impactful, leading to the creation of the Zambezi School Project.
During my recuperation, I had ample time to reflect on the fragility of life and the importance of community and support. The idea of giving back and creating something positive out of an extremely difficult experience began to take shape. I was particularly moved by the thought of helping communities in the very region where the incident occurred. The Zambezi River, while the site of my ordeal, also became the symbol of a new beginning—a place where a transformative initiative could take root.
Thus, the Zambezi School Project was born. Initially, the vision was straightforward yet ambitious: to build a preschool for 104 children from Muke and Delevu Villages near Livingstone in Zambia. These villages lacked proper educational facilities, with children in Muke Village being taught on the floor of a village church and Delevu Village having no school building at all. The conditions were far from ideal, limiting the potential of these bright young minds. This is where our journey began!
