Magazine Community School

The Magazine Community school was founded in 2005 by Italian Volunteer Marco Sardella. He started his charity work in Bosnia, where he spent time in Sarajevo and Mostar trying to help people cope with the effects of the Bosnian War. After several years of working on various projects around the world he founded the Magazine Community School and has been there ever since.

The school can be found in Magazine Compound in the town Chipata, in the east of Zambia about 30 minutes by car from the border of Malawi. In Zambia the word compound is used similarly to the words "slum", "shanty town" or "favela" heard in other parts of the world. The process to legalize the plot on which the school stood began when the school opened in 2005. Thanks to Marco's hard work, this process was finally completed in April 2011. The Magazine Community School is now the only legalized plot in the whole of the Magazine Compound!

When the school first opened all lessons were taught in a former house which was the only building on the plot. There were often as many as 50 pupils in one small cramped classroom with no desks. Thanks to the constant hard work of Marco, an incredible amount of progress has been achieved in a very short time. The school now has a piped water supply, a brand new classroom block with 2 classrooms, desks and uniforms for each child, a kitchen and a toilet block built from your donations and the profit of the Raise a Smile hostel.

Click here to read more about the new toilet block built by Raise a Smile

The school is now one of the best schools in Chipata and since it doesn't charge any school fees there is obviously a very high demand for places. Priority is given to double orphans (children who have no living parents), followed by single orphans (children who have one living parent) and finally vulnerable children. Orphans in Zambia are often seen as a burden on the families who have to look after them, so if it was not for the Magazine Community School most of these children would not be given the opportunity of receiving an education.

Raise a Smile Project Key Facts

When the school first opened it catered for grades 1 to 7. Any children that managed to pass the grade 7 exam were then sponsored to carry on their education at another school. However, 2010 was the first year that the school also started teaching grade 8 and next year all the pupils who pass will also be able to take grade 9 at the school.

Despite the fantastic improvements that have already been made, there is still a great deal that can be done to help the children at the Magazine Community School. Another school block is needed to ensure that all of the children are able to learn in a environment conducive to a good education. You can make sure that the children of Magazine Compound can have a great future by signing up to become a Raise a Smile member or by making a donation now!