Major Milestones, New Beginnings, and Reasons to Celebrate in Kashitu

The past few weeks have been exceptionally busy in Kashitu. After weeks of preparation, fieldwork, and data collection, the first results are beginning to emerge, demonstrating just how much progress has been achieved together. Construction continues to move forward, the beekeeping programme is expanding, the sanitation project has reached several important milestones, and the entire community is taking another significant step towards a sustainable future.

Documentation Completed: Another Step Towards Better Sanitation

One of the greatest achievements of recent weeks has been the completion of site documentation for the future composting toilets. Together with Mr. Phiri, we successfully mapped and documented all of the selected locations identified for the project.

Behind every photograph, note, and GPS coordinate lie hours of fieldwork, discussions with local residents, and careful assessments of each community's needs. Thanks to this work, we now have a complete set of documentation that will guide the next phases of the project and help us determine where the new sanitation solutions will have the greatest impact.

The Sanitation Club Receives Official Certification

Another important milestone is the official certification of the newly established Sanitation Club. The group of 20 local community members, who will play a long-term role in sanitation awareness, maintenance of sanitation infrastructure, promotion of good hygiene practices, and production of organic fertiliser, has now received formal recognition.

Engaging local people is one of the key foundations of the project's long-term sustainability. Real change is created not only through new infrastructure but, above all, through the people who take ownership of it and continue to develop it.

Following the certification, the Sanitation Club held its first official meeting, during which members discussed the data collected from the farmer survey and planned the project's next steps.

Five Hundred Surveys and Four Thousand Pages of Data

Significant progress has also been made in research. Over the past few weeks, the team collected an impressive 500 questionnaires focusing on local farming practices, residents' experiences with dry toilets, regional sanitation conditions, and local attitudes towards composting toilets and the use of organic fertiliser.

The next stage was equally demanding. Every questionnaire had to be scanned, digitised, and systematically processed. The scanning alone amounted to approximately 4,000 pages of documentation.

The collected data will not only help us better understand the needs of local communities but will also provide valuable evidence for future sanitation education activities and support project implementation within the UNDP Challenge Fund. It will enable us to plan future activities more effectively and evaluate their long-term impact.

New Foundations and the First Steps Towards Energy Independence

Construction has also continued on the first classroom of the future campus. Following the site survey, excavation work began, and the first foundations are now taking shape. The building will initially provide facilities for the theoretical part of the workshops already offered at the campus and, hopefully by 2030, will accommodate Grades 8 and 9 as part of the pilot secondary education programme.

Another major milestone was the arrival of the new transformer, representing a significant step in the development of the campus infrastructure. A reinforced concrete foundation has already been prepared, and installation will follow in the coming days.

Weighing approximately 1.2 tonnes, the transformer will soon become an integral part of the energy system that we began developing last year in cooperation with the CEZ Group through the installation of a solar photovoltaic system with battery storage.

The transformer and the solar power system will complement one another. During grid outages, the photovoltaic system and batteries will provide reliable electricity for the school buildings. When the public grid is available, the transformer will enable the operation of more energy-intensive equipment, such as machinery used in the carpentry workshop.

Grid connection will also allow us to feed surplus electricity generated by the solar power system back into the national grid. At present, Zambia's utility company, ZESCO, compensates suppliers by providing credits that reduce future electricity bills based on the amount of electricity supplied. Although ZESCO plans to introduce changes to this system, the details are still under development.

Only a few years ago, projects like these seemed like a distant vision. Today, they are gradually becoming reality before the eyes of the local community.

Honey That Creates Opportunities

Beekeeping activities have also brought many encouraging moments over the past few weeks. Together with our local partners, we had the opportunity to taste the first honey of this year's harvest while continuing preparations for purchasing honey from local beekeepers.

The first samples confirmed the excellent quality of this season's harvest, suggesting that local beekeepers are in for a very successful year. Before Honza and Klárka departed, we officially launched the honey purchasing programme and began the next phase of support for local producers.

Our current goal is to purchase up to 2.2 tonnes of honey from beekeepers across the region, helping them secure better market opportunities and receive fairer prices for their work. Until now, most honey could only be sold through large buyers, who often pushed prices down significantly.

Thanks to the beekeeping workshop we have established at the campus, we can now process the honey locally. This means beekeepers receive a fair price for their harvest, while the community can generate additional income through the sale of processed honey, which commands a considerably higher market value than raw honey.

We also visited the biogas plant at St. Paul's Secondary School. The visit provided valuable inspiration and demonstrated further opportunities to connect education, environmentally friendly technologies, and sustainable community development.

Gratitude and New Beginnings

This period has also been marked by farewells. After a month of intensive work in Kashitu, Honza and Klárka said goodbye to the community. During their stay, they contributed significantly to the research, site mapping, project preparation, and the development of many other activities. Their efforts have left visible results and become an important part of the next chapter in Kashitu's story.

Many challenges still lie ahead. We will continue the construction work, support the activities of the Sanitation Club, complete the installation and commissioning of the transformer, and further expand the beekeeping programme.

Every new step demonstrates that when the commitment of local people, volunteers, and project partners comes together, it is possible to create meaningful, lasting change that will benefit the community for generations to come.