January 2019

We couldn’t quite complete the school build during my 17-day visit, but Vitalis and the masons continued the brickwork, plastering and hanging doors, etc.

The floors in the staff room, library(!) and kitchen are concrete, so no more kicking up the dirt. The new staff room table/desk looks great and will be a huge help in lesson planning and marking.

Everything we buy has to be made by locals—there are specialist metalworkers, carpenters, bench joiners, masons and plumbers—so you could say the school is totally bespoke. We wouldn’t want it any other way.

As the build nears its completion, we have reduced the number of hands on site to those who can complete the roof on the staff room and make the doors and windows for the new classrooms.

Bonface, Benedict and the team have worked like Trojans to finish the job before I leave for the UK. Unfortunately, though it was a sterling effort over 17 days, many of the finishing touches will have to be completed after I leave: interior and exterior plastering, painting, building the verandah, and ‘topping out’ the roof.

In January 2019, we are looking forward to seeing the new classrooms full of children laughing and learning, the staff room used by teachers for marking and lesson planning, the resource room organised and welcoming, and the kitchen wafting beautiful smells over the playground.