The time has come: we drive past the well-attended water point that we repaired, get out of the air-conditioned car into the heat of the day and I see our future school with my own eyes!
Kaira shows me everything, starting with the sheet metal barrack, which serves as a storage facility for building materials and as accommodation for the workers. It is red-hot during the day! It is good that the first of the three classrooms can now provide shade for the workers to rest.
Under the scorching sun it REALLY hits home what it means to build everything here by hand, sometimes standing in rubber boots! Dig a four / five meter deep pit for the toilets, lift the six kilo bricks, mix the concrete ... I can't tell you HOW hot it is!
It hasn't rained in months. Small cyclones suck dust into the sky and the normally solid ground has turned into quicksand in places - the purest trap for a heavily-loaded truck!
With foresight and optimism, Kaira had sockets and cables installed in all rooms, as well as plumbing for the kitchen and bathroom in the teacher's house. The handwelded windows and the door frames will soon be added ... The detailed work has already begun! Kaira paints for me a picture of where the teachers (and our future volunteers) will have a terrace so that the facade will be even more beautiful. I am pleased that aesthetic aspects are being taken into account, because much of the building work must be done according to strict government policy.
The school grounds are huge! Over time, the four acres (1.6 hectares) will become a school vegetable garden, an orchard, a sports field and will house any future extensions. We are sure to find a good solution to our water problem too! Olari! May it grow lush and green here, and may everything prosper!
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