Jungle Junction

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After leaving the tour, I had a few days to kill before starting my next project so went to a place called Jungle Junction which is on a small island in the middle of the Zambezi river. It is about a 50kms drive and the transfer shuttle was a Ute and involved sitting in the back with 5 other people and all our luggage, a great way to travel. We then transferred to mokoro's for a short crossing to the island. One side of the river is Zimbabwe and the side is Zambia, but Bovu is Zambian territory. The accommodation consists of small open sided huts on stilts dotted along the shoreline, they have a bed with mosi net, table & chair. There is also a bar hut and a library/dining hut where everyone gathers in the evening. There is no electricity etc.
At night you can hear the hippos grunting and getting out of the water onto the island around the huts, and you have to be very careful in you need to go to the loo.
I met Sue and Mary who are from the UK and doing 3 weeks volunteer work at the local village preschool across on the mainland, and they invited me to join them for a morning to see what they do. If the community did not organise this locally the kids would have to walk 5 miles each way to attend the next nearest preshool. It is really important that the kids learn to speak English and have a basic understanding of alphabet etc as this determines if they are admitted to school.
They have no resources at all and no government funding, Sue & Mary brought some supplies with them and taught through play, getting the kids to sing and draw etc, about 60-70 kids turn up everyday from about 6 villages along this stretch of river.
At the moment the preschool is in the village church (mud & straw), but the community and with help from Jungle Junction, are raising money to build a dedicated brick building. While we were there the roof was completed and the village had a party which everyone from Jungle junction was invited to.
The village is very very basic but everyone made us feel very welcome, they were singing, and drinking the locally brewed beer and everyone was dancing around the fire, it was alot of fun although it was abit worrying when we had to get back in a mokoro with a slightly drunk poler.
After 3 relaxing days I headed back to Livingstone to start my next volunteer project.

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Photos

Jungle Junction
My luxury transfer

Jungle Junction
My hut

Jungle Junction
Bar

Jungle Junction
Preschool