March 2011
Our big project for 2011 was the building of 4 classrooms at Obingo Primary School. It is the most difficult school to reach in the district, with vehicles having to cross muddy rivers in the rainy season and risk becoming stuck. These days little motorbike taxis allow access within half an hour from the main road on a dry day – if you dare get on the back of one that is.
Obingo school has 320 pupils. When we first began work there it had four classrooms made of mud and sticks (see gallery) and had been consistently towards the bottom of the league tables. We have taken the school under our wing and have rebuilt it to a standard that should last for many years to come. Our building projects, inspected by the local planning department, have solid foundations and reinforced concrete pillars and beams to enable them to stand up to the harshest conditions.
Besides our feasibility study at the school, we made two further visits in 2010 to confirm details prior to the start of building work in November. On each visit the headmistress became more and more excited. A local woman, she is deeply committed to her community and, although ready for retirement, she is determined to do what she can to inspire and educate the children in her care. “I never thought I’d see the day when people like you would come to help my school, now I can die happy,” she said.
The work was finished in February 2012 and officially opened on the 18th of March.
