Richard Sikalunda, head man of Simikakata

Richard Sikalunda is a retired vet who lives in the 5,000 strong community of Simikakata. For the last seven years, he’s served as headman for the people here, their direct liaison with the district chief. Of all the things the community here needs, he knows that he has to focus on one project at a time to get things done.

In the future, he says, he’d like to build a clinic. The nearest town, Kalomo, is 7km away, and if there’s a medical emergency – like a difficult childbirth at night – the community doesn’t have the money to pay for the 25,000 Kwacha (approx £3) taxi ride to see a doctor. Right now, though, Sikalunda is standing in a site that he hopes, in six months time, will be a new school.

Relocating the current school from its current temporary base in a run down farmhouse is more important even than improving healthcare, he explains, because without reading, his community will never improve.

“When you have an educated community,” he says, “Most things can be done easily. Without learning, we cannot understand what to do.”

He talks about the rich agricultural potential of the land. Maize, soya and sunflowers are planted here between November and December. Most of the community are subsistence farmers, harvesting around 100 bags of maize per household. Some are capable of growing four or five times that amount, and are able to sell the surplus. Why the difference?

“We have people coming in to explain how to use agricultural machinery and fertilisers,” he answers, “But we cannot always remember the instructions. We don’t always know what to do. We cannot rely on interpreters all the time, and we don’t want to.”