WHO WE ARE

We are a group of mostly students and graduates of CTU who are involved in construction and architecture. We came together at a week-long September 2020 Development Workshop organized by the ICWD of CTU. We have been functioning since then as the implementation team of the Kashitu Secondary School project, which was created based on the needs of the New Renato Community. We are happy to use our skills and knowledge to help build a secondary school campus in Zambia together with the Czech NGO Friends of New Renato.

TEAM OF 2024

Petr Čanda

The leader and creator of the entire Kashitu High School project. He graduated from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the CTU with a degree in Building and Environment Engineering. As of October 2019, he is a PhD student focusing on buildings in different climatic conditions. He is working as a designer of low-energy and passive buildings made of natural materials, where he is also involved in their implementation. He started working on the project as part of his thesis and is currently involved in coordinating the implementation phases of the future high school.

Anežka Havránková

A first grade teacher at the Navis Primary School and a scout from Horní Počernice, she has experience with the functioning of non-profit organizations and with management. She is in charge of the finances and will gratefully issue a donation receipt to all donors. This year she took over the leadership of the Friends of New Renato association, which will sponsor the project. In September she will travel to Zambia to thank all the volunteers, but most importantly to hand over the project to the leadership of the Zambian community in Kashitu and to agree on the continuation of the project and its progress in the future.

Štěpánka Míchálová

She works in the community of L'Arche Villa Vallila. Last year she helped build the first high school building in Kashitu. This year she will be upcycling cement bags with local women and together they will figure out how to make useful things out of them and other fabrics. She is also interested to see how the local community and the volunteers involved in the construction are doing.

Václav Centner

World observer, flower lover and architecture enthusiast. This year also a fresh bachelor from the Institute of Architecture in Brno. Helping in developing countries was his childhood dream. He was already in Zambia last year, so this year he was responsible for the design of the house we will build in Kashitu. He will work on site as a welder, mason and general labourer. He is looking forward to interacting with the locals and dancing the night away. He's already salivating for nshima with fish.

Michal Přibyl

Graduate of the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Czech Technical University. In Zambia, he will hold the position of construction manager throughout the implementation phase. At the same time, he will present the construction through regular reels on social media. In his free time he enjoys windsurfing, climbing and playing the guitar. Overall, he enjoys traveling and the big challenges in life, which this project definitely is.

Eliška Kopačková

Graduate of the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Czech Technical University. During her studies she participated in an international student project and her experience from it is now useful for us. In the project she is in charge of social networks and is a member of the fundraising team. She is going to Zambia for the last phase of the construction in September, when all the work will need to be completed for the handover of the finished building, and it will also be a media harvest for social networks and planned filming of reports.

Nástia Saliakhova

Graduate of social pedagogy at Charles University. She coordinates the marketing of the project and makes sure that the project is as transparent as possible for the public. She will spend two months on the construction site, but she might not be seen much in the videos as she will be behind the camera.

Igor Suvorov

Almost Master of Political Science with a focus on Africa, development aid and human capital development from the University of Hradec Kralove. He lived in Zambia for half a year as part of the Erasmus programme. He brings to the project his cultural knowledge of the African context in economics, social dynamics and development. He is also not afraid to pick up a shovel and take it as far as it needs to go. After all, big things are better thought of with manual labour.

Moni Kinnertová

Student at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, majoring in food technology. She will be putting her hand to work during the construction and will be part of the planning team for next year's project in September, which means another building, the third to be part of the campus. Planning will be done on-site with local nonprofit New Renato and members of the Czech nonprofit Friends of New Renato.

Filip Lukáš

A student of history at Charles University, his humanities-based studies come in handy when writing articles and press releases. Outside of his studies, Filip helps out on a construction site, so he gets to experience the differences between Czech and real Zambian construction. And if he's not on site holding a shovel or drill, he'll be happy to report back in the construction videos, so you've got something to look forward to!

Martina Michlovská

Graduated from Brno University of Technology - Industrial Design in Mechanical Engineering. Currentlyshe works in FabLab in Brno - a digital open workshop for the public. In her spare time she likes to spend time in the mountains - whether winter snowboarding or summer climbing and hiking. Before her trip, she worked on preparing graphic materials for exhibitions and organized an exhibition in Brno. She will be on site for a month helping with whatever is needed.

Eva Dvořáček

She graduated from Industrial Design in Mechanical Engineering at Brno University of Technology. She is currently working as a mechanical engineer on the development of medical devices. She will spend a month in Zambia and will be involved in the construction as well as in the preparation of graphic documents and manual. She likes to spend her free time outdoors hiking in the mountains or travelling in a camper van.

Michaela Jurčová

She studied General Medicine at the 1st Faculty of Medicine. She's going to Zambia for her first tour as a doctor. Her main duty is to make sure that everyone returns home safely. She's not afraid of manual labour either, so I'll definitely be lending a hand on the construction site.

Kateřina Vašková

She studies architecture and is involved in graphic design and other creative activities. She organizes programs for children and adults. She likes to describe herself as a sun worshipper and her favourite place to spend her summers is in the woods. Even if she has to plan for doing nothing, she enjoys being spontaneous. In the project she is involved in the creation of graphic content, and in Africa she will be documenting the process and then processing the collected materials

Tereza Veverková

Fresh engineer of bioanalytical laboratory diagnostics at the University of Science and Technology. She is also studying medicine at 3rd lf. After her third year, she spent 7 months as a volunteer in Chad treating patients at the health center and tutoring children at school. She hopes that she won't have to use much of her experience in Chad while treating volunteers in Kashitu.

Jan Šmejkal

After studying biology at the Faculty of Science of the University of South Bohemia and working for several years at a research institute, he took up the carpentry trade. He works with Vlasta Hanuš on the production of bespoke furniture, as well as smaller carpentry or carving projects. He has experience in volunteering from his many years in the Scouts, not only in the troop but also on educational courses.

Vendy Rathuská

She studies architecture and civil engineering at the Czech Technical University. She participated in the study of the house and will work with the carpenters in Kashitu to furnish it.

Míša Mlček

A bioinformatician and former scout leader, she currently works as an analyst for a medical firm. She is looking forward to adding her hand to a much needed project in Africa and helping in a place where they don't have the same opportunities we are used to in Europe. She is going to Kashitu for 5 weeks and will be keeping the back office running smoothly ready to help wherever it is needed.

Šimon Mlček

He is pursuing a Master's degree in architecture and led a scout troop in Prague-Vršovice. He likes to develop neglected places that are overlooked by the surroundings and he is close to the motto a lot with little. In the school project he is part of the design team and will be in charge of the construction material and photo documentation of the early parts of the building.

Jan Svoboda

He studies Architecture and Civil Engineering at the Czech Technical University, and is interested in low-energy construction and BIM. In his free time he is a scout leader, plays sports and hikes in the mountains. He is involved in the design and project documentation of the building. He is going to Zambia for 5 weeks and will be in charge of the logistics of the building materials.

Vlastimil Hanuš

He has studied biology, environmental science and psychology and is now working on a craft - artistic carpentry and woodcarving. He enjoys reading, tea and travelling light. Former scout leader. In Zambia we will be making furniture for a new building and designing wood products with locals.

Jiří Bacony

A bridge engineer with overlap there and then. Participates in the preparation of the structural part of the project. He will act as an auxiliary force on site with experience in structural engineering, manual labor and poetry. Enjoys doing and not doing, as the case may be...