Tambudzai Mutale with the help of five other Climate Ambassadors,  from Western Province Zambia, started an adaptation advocacy campaign in November 2010. The adaptation campaign was aimed at ensuring that a floating school is built in their community as the province is greatly affected by floods. They believe strongly that every child has a right to an education and were moved that schools in the flood plain close for 4-6 months every year. The ambassadors lobbied UNICEF and the Ministry of Education office in Mongu for assistance in raising funds to build the school. They identified a floating school site, Malabo Basic School, situated in the Baroste plain, which normally floods for four months a year.  In dry season, in takes more than two hours – by car and foot – to reach the school from Mongu, the provincial capital.

However, due to climate change, the floods in the plains have been extending for up to seven months a year forcing the over 200 pupils of the school to relocate to schools in higher grounds. This ends up disrupting their learning and for those who are unable to relocate, they end up missing all these months of the school. The result of this is that pupils take longer to finish school and others give up at some point and drop out of school.

From a school visit by UNICEF and Ministry of education officials, it was evident that the school was in a desperate condition. There was only a handful of desks, most of which were waterlogged and in no condition to serve the pupils. This explained the use of the classroom earth floor for reading and writing by the pupils in the school. On the other hand, the classrooms walls made of mud and reeds and the thatched roof were also falling off. This left the pupils exposed to heavy winds, scotching sun and outside destructions during classes.

Through the ambassadors advocacy, UNICEF Zambia went ahead to source for funds for the construction of the floating school. The Danish Natcom offered to give funds for the construction of the school. This will be a collaboration project between the Ministry of Education UNICEF, and the Mongu Climate Ambassadors. Among the highlights of the project will be the use of local and recycled materials to build the school and the use of solar as an alternative energy source. It will also look at environmentally friendly ways of waste management. This is a project which will definitely alleviate the suffering of the pupils in Malabo Basic School and honour their rights as children.