528 Students Return to Class After Namibia Flood Rescue

When floodwaters threatened to stop learning for hundreds of students in Namibia's Zambezi region, an entire community mobilized to make sure that didn't happen.

Three schools serving 528 students in the flood-prone Kabbe North and Kabbe South areas successfully relocated to higher ground this week. Classes resumed Tuesday at temporary sites in Luhonono and Lusese, where no boats are needed to reach the classroom door.

"We have managed to move the furniture and the learners," said Alex Sikume, Zambezi education director. The operation involved moving desks, chairs, and supplies during the Easter holiday, then transporting students by ferry and smaller boats starting Sunday.

The relocation used the ferry Kapelwa Kabajani alongside smaller vessels, with no incidents reported during the entire process. Students from Muzii, Nankuntwe, and Mpukano schools now attend class in existing hostels, community buildings, prefab structures, and temporary tent classrooms.

Parents didn't just send their children. Many traveled to the new locations themselves to help prepare food and watch over their kids' wellbeing while they adjust to temporary accommodations.

The Ripple Effect

The school relocation represents just one piece of Namibia's broader flood response effort. The government invested $24 million in floating bridge materials that can create up to 56 temporary bridges, restoring access to isolated communities cut off by rising waters.

These bridges will reconnect people not just to schools but to clinics and other critical services. Installation begins this week at key points across the region, prioritized by need assessments identifying the hardest-hit areas.

The affected schools plan to extend their calendar if needed, staying open longer than usual to compensate for lost instructional time. "They will only close when they have covered what they needed to cover," Sikume explained.

Food supplies are flowing through the Office of the Prime Minister and the Zambezi Regional Disaster Management Committee. While sanitation facilities are being shared with host schools until additional resources arrive, the temporary arrangements are working.

The message from education officials is clear: they want every student back in class and caught up with the syllabus, no matter what it takes.