Sustainability
In 2018, Baobuyu became home to Mwandi’s first-ever community recycling center.
We promote the REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE concept to educate our kids and the community about the importance of eliminating waste. We think it’s important that the kids learn to take responsibility for protecting our environment and their future.
These are some of the other ways we are working towards a greener future!
Biogas Digester
We deposit all organic waste and wastewater into our biogas digester. The digester is a big underground chamber that converts waste to methane gas, which we use for cooking.
No food ever goes to waste—the children’s leftovers are thoroughly devoured by the Security Team (a.k.a. the dogs).
Vegetable Garden
We are passionate about providing our children with learning opportunities that emphasize healthy eating. Our Baobuyu garden has nine large beds, filled with yummy vegetables we can use in our school lunches. Our children learn how to maintain a garden, applying their classroom knowledge to real-life, hands-on experiences. In the garden, our children learn the importance of patience, regular watering, and weed removal to keep their plants happy and healthy, just like them! This interactive learning fosters responsibility and a deeper understanding of the importance of plants and their environment.
Tree Planting
We have planted more than 30 fruit and shade trees at our school. Amongst them, we have guava, papaya, lemon, orange, muhulohulo (African orange), and mango trees all to supplement our nutrition program. We love partnering with other schools in the area to help plant trees and support their projects.
Conserving Energy
Power outages are common in Zambia, so we are very conscious about using our energy and resources strategically. We only use energy-efficient appliances and lightbulbs, and never keep unused electronics plugged in. In June 2024, we were able to install 9 solar security lights around our school for safety and to conserve energy in the nights. We hope to one day go fully solar!!
Recycled Art Projects
Other waste items such as toilet paper rolls, cardboard, water bottles, glass jars, tin cans, etc., are used in art projects to create masks, cardboard creatures, musical instruments and whatever else you can imagine!
Ecobricking
Restaurants, backpackers, and lodges in the Livingstone area save water bottles and plastic waste for us to transform into something remarkable: eco-bricks. Eco-bricks are densely packed plastic bottles filled with used soft plastic, that can be used as building blocks for benches, tables, desks, and so much more! This initiative not only benefits our planet but also strengthens our communities.
We are super proud of the fact our school produces zero waste! Let us show you how we do it:
