“It’s a school meant to share God’s love. For every child to know they are loved and that they belong” – Mandelena Chetty
When Mandelena Chetty arrived in Zambia for the first time in 2023, she carried with her a name, a story, and a purpose. What began as a volunteer trip became something much deeper: a calling to build a space where children could learn, belong, and know that they are loved.
Honouring a legacy of love
The school she would eventually found is named Julie Chetty’s Primary School of Love, in honour of her mother, who served in Zambia at the same age and passed away in 2022. “She even named me after a child she met while she was there,” Chetty said. “And when I landed, someone picking me up from the airport thought I was local, because in Zambia, ‘Mandelena’ means tropical fruit.”
A new path, a new purpose
Chetty’s journey to TWU wasn’t a straight line. After beginning her studies at the University of Ottawa in Biomedical Sciences, she transferred to TWU in her second year, shifting majors to Applied Linguistics. “I didn't find my passion in the sciences, but once in the Linguistics program at Trinity, I knew that this was what I was meant to study,” she said.
Her time at Trinity shaped not only her education, but her heart. The close-knit environment of the Applied Linguistics department, where classes sometimes had just six students, offered a sense of homey community. “The faculty really got to know us,” she recalls. “And most of them are involved in Bible translation projects, which is amazing to learn from.”
Preparation through internship
One of the most formative experiences came in 2024, when Chetty participated in an internship through the Linguistics department. She spent four weeks on a farm in rural Philippines, assisting with Bible translation work among the Cotabato Manobo Indigenous group. “I was doing research and observing the translation process,” she said. “That experience really prepared me to live abroad and work cross-culturally. It was an incredible opportunity I wouldn’t have had without the hands-on experience of my faculty.”
A foundation of education and relationships
Though she deeply respects those who serve in Bible translation, her path will go in a different direction. “I absolutely admire those who do that work, but I’ll be pursuing speech-language pathology,” said Chetty. She begins her Speech-Language Pathology Master’s in September.
Through chapel, friendships, and the mentorship of professors, she began to see the deep connection between her studies and her faith. “Trinity helped me love school again, and I could really feel God throughout that experience,” said Chetty.
Seeing the need up close
What Chetty saw during her first four-week volunteer trip in Zambia, stayed with her. “There was a child who lived right next to the school. He was ten years old and had never gone to school because his family couldn’t afford the five-dollar monthly fee,” she said. “The teachers weren’t getting paid to teach. They were selling chickens and pillowcases at the market just to survive. And one of them was making only $23 a month.”
Those realities left a lasting impression. “At first, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I thought maybe I’d go back and volunteer again. But I felt it in my heart: I could actually start something,” she said. “The money from here goes so far there. I realized it was actually feasible to build a school.”
From vision to reality
By the summer of 2024, Chetty had returned to Zambia for four months and began the work of turning vision into action. The process of founding a school was full of cross-cultural learning curves. “Nothing is online. Everything is by word of mouth. I couldn’t just Google properties or post job ads for teachers,” she said. “It required a lot of patience, trust, and prayer.”
Applying cross-cultural communications
As a young, foreign woman in a male-dominated setting, she also faced challenges navigating government offices and business transactions. “There were times where I had to slow down, reevaluate, and ask better questions,” she said. Her training in linguistics at TWU gave her an edge in cross-cultural communication, “It helped me understand how to communicate more respectfully and clearly across cultures,” said Chetty.
Complicating everything further, Zambia had declared a national state of emergency during Chetty’s time there. “There was no water, no power, no cell service for most of the time,” she said. “We’d go 3-4 days without running water, and even when it came back, it would only last an hour. That made living conditions hard and communication with workers and government offices even harder.”
Eventually, she hired a small staff and appointed a local headmaster to oversee the daily operations. Two of her teachers are young and freshly graduated, and all were chosen for their passion and character. “I wanted teachers who would be strict but modelled love and respect,” said Chetty.
A school rooted in love
Julie Chetty’s Primary School of Love officially opened in February 2025, named to honour the life and legacy of Chetty’s mother and inspired by the faith that continues to carry her through. “It’s a school meant to share God’s love: for every child to know they are loved and that they belong,” said Chetty.
The school is located in a rural community where many of the children have never attended school before. It currently serves Grades 1–4 across four classrooms and has space for up to 100 students.
Funded largely through family, friends, and co-workers, the project has raised over $30,000. “I just posted about it and the support has been incredible,” she said. “Every dollar counts. Even five dollars can feed the entire school for a day or send a child to school for a month.”
Finding joy in unexpected places
What stands out most to her, though, isn’t just the need, but the joy. “Western media paints a very one-sided picture,” she said. “But what I saw was a deep love for God. The people there are singing, dancing, praising even when they have so little.”
Chetty describes the Zambian church services as vibrant and passionate, often four hours of joyful worship, singing, and community. “Their happiness just radiates,” she said.
Lessons in faith and courage
Looking back, Chetty sees how God was guiding her every step: from the major she switched into, to the professors who poured into her, to the community that helped carry her through the challenges of building a school across the world.
“I’ve learned how to work with people, how to love people, and how to be loved,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you speak the same language or live in the same place. There’s so much love to be shared. That’s what this school is about. That’s what my mom’s legacy is about.”
As Julie Chetty’s Primary School of Love continues to grow, so does its message that education, compassion, and faith can change lives—one child, one teacher, and one small classroom at a time.
For those interested in partnering with Chetty to help expand access to education in Zambia, donations can be received via her GoFundMe.
Story by Netanya Castillo.
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