Finish line in sight
Since the last update, a lot of time has passed and quite a few changes have occurred at our school as well. We were able to cement the floors and plaster the walls in all six classrooms, as well as install electrical wiring. However, we are still waiting for the power supply, as the city has not yet extended the lines to the school. Nevertheless, the projects are progressing. The filling and leveling of the ground took a lot of time and money, but the result is very satisfactory. Each classroom has also received a chalkboard, which is extremely important for teaching. Internally, we still need to complete the painting and find a suitable solution for the ceiling. Additionally, we have installed 14 windows and 5 doors, which cost CHF 1,000 (CHF 915 for materials and CHF 85 for installation). The window frames are made of wood and fitted with black plastic rods. We still need to add the shutters to protect against all weather conditions. Moreover, we need to install gutters on the roof to collect and reuse rainwater. If the water falls freely onto the ground, it creates large trenches and endangers the construction work.
As you can see, we still have several ongoing projects, which also present a significant financial challenge. Therefore, we continue to rely on additional support.
With Christmas just around the corner, we’ve come up with something special. We’d like to give you the opportunity to support the school not only with monetary donations but also by contributing school supplies. You can choose from various packages that include textbooks, pencils, scissors, and erasers. A portion of the funds will also benefit the construction work. Click here to join our Christmas campaign! Christmas campaign!
Cargo transportation
In the last update, you saw how we packed clothes, shoes, and school supplies into boxes and prepared them for shipping to Kenya. The shipment is now on its way and is expected to arrive in Nairobi next week. I will pick up the cargo at the airport with Harrison and bring it to the school. In Switzerland, my friends Luca and David took care of the transport to Zurich Airport. Thank you! At this point, I would also like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the team at Swissworldcargo, who have put in an immense amount of effort to support us as best as they could. Given that the aviation industry has been particularly hard hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, we faced some challenges here. Now, we hope that we will be able to collect the goods in Nairobi without any difficulties.
Status of construction work
Last month, we started work on the foundation for the new classrooms, bringing us closer to our dream of establishing an educational center. This progress was made possible only through your generous donations. During the excavation, we were caught off guard by heavy rain, which unfortunately damaged part of the work. As a result, we had to redo many tasks. With the cementing, we were able to protect the trenches. The next step is to purchase blocks to raise the foundation to the level of the old classrooms so that we can use them in January when the school might be fully open. Currently, the old classrooms are not accessible. We are still in need of financial support for this. We sincerely thank everyone for their help!
| Construction work | Expenses |
|---|---|
| Form trenches | CHF 882 |
| Base | CHF 44 |
| 50x D-10 wire | CHF 330 |
| 30x D-8 wire | CHF 135 |
| 30x D-6 wire | CHF 115 |
| Wires | CHF 35 |
| 2 Lastwagen Ballast | CHF 220 |
| 38x cement | CHF 220.50 |
| 620l water | CHF 48.90 |
| Work | CHF 410 |
| Total | CHF 2’440.40 |
I am now on-site and will provide ongoing updates about the progress. Stay tuned!
