GONGALI VILLAGE CLASSROOMS 5,6,7 - FINAL UPDATE

Hi All

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE NO. 4 - June 2014

Gongali Primary School Classroom 5,6,7 Project

Opening Celebrations

This is the final update from the April/May visit to Tanzania.

the greeting; new building at right, with balloons

The opening of this classroom building was significant; it completed all 7 classrooms for this site and is the first of our 3 school sites to do so. The children attending this school are up to Standard 4 level with 3 more years to go till graduation. That means that 2017 will be a momentous occasion that I am looking forward to ; the first graduation class from our first school project. How amazing will that be!

the official ribbon-cutting. L to R: Head Teacher Mark Mollel, Mayor Hayshi, District Education Officer Honorati Bayo, Alan Roy, Builder Fabian Amman, Teacher Sarah Mollel, New Teacher (name?)

Mayor Hayshi arranged a wonderful musical welcome for the “Canadian contingent”. As we approached the site, the pupils were all lined up singing beautifully for us. The freshly painted new building in the background looked great. It was festively adorned with strings of balloons. Joining Mathew and me were two touring groups. One is from Victoria, BC; Peter Daniels (one of our Directors), his girlfriend Olga Gill, and friend Cathleen Hart. The other is from Ontario; John and Judy Lutes and 7 other family and relatives. We toured the classrooms and residences, cut the ceremonial ribbon and proceeded to the Dining Hall for speeches and gift exchanges.

the Canadian contingent, with the Tanzanian hosts 

 The Canadian guests were treated to being “robed” – a tradition for all visitors, as a way of inviting them into the village fold as honorary guests. The highlight is, as always, the sports gifts donated by the travelers to the children; soccer and volleyballs, volleyball nets, skipping ropes and even a whole bunch of balloons. No sooner had the kids received the balls did they run out to the field to test them out. And the adults were very qick to join in the fun. What a wonderful sight to see them, , kicking the ball around with no particular strategy or rules, just happy to be cavorting and frolicking in wild abandon.

Andrew and the kids with the new soccer ball

Mark and his outdoor class

Our Glenwood Elementary Connection

Peter and Olga brought a package of letters from our Canadian counterpart, Glenwood Elementary, Maple Ridge, BC and I had earlier passed them out to the teachers. But I waited until the opening ceremonies to hand the special gift from Glenwood to the kids and teachers; hand-crafted bracelets. Wonderfully appreciated as they proudly wore them. Thank you, James White and Glenwood Elementary. At the end of the day Head Teacher Mark Mollel gave me the return package of letters from the Gongali kids for their Glenwood counterparts. I know the Glenwood class will be very excited again to receive them.

Cathleen's donation of a soccer ball and skipping ropes

Our Accessible Education Association (AEA) Connection

AEA's donation of books

AEA is a new small Canadian NGO that is joining our cause by raising funds to provide books for our schools in Tanzania. The Gongali Village Primary School is one of their first projects and they have already donated approximately $360.00 for the first installment of books. We lined the kids up for a photo as they proudly displayed these valuable tools for their education. This is a first for them and they are very pleased; to have new books and to not have to be so many sharing a book.

Classroom sponsored by BC Ferries 

Soccer balls donation

Classroom sponsored by Don Park in memory
of his father Flight Lieutenant W. G. Park

Classroom sponsored by
 San Han and Alicia Lee of Victoria 

Electricity Project - Gongali Primary School

The electricity project has started. We finally arranged an agreement with the local utility company, Tanesco, to connect to a nearby power line. By the time I left back for Canada, the electrical contractor Sebastian Hamanjida had already started wiring the buildings in anticipation of the power connection. This is such a monumental event for the school; to have electricity that gets them out of the dark, to further their education, and enjoy evening activities in the teacher’s home. We are aiming to have it there by early August this year, hopefully in time to kick off their computer training classes then. Computers donated by the Gongali Model organization have been stored on site for 2 years now, waiting…

John and Judy Lutes

Peter Daniels and Olga Gill

The Edit Gvora High School Project - Gongali 

Work continues in the planning stages with our latest project, the new high school. Before I left for Canada I visited the site with the District Civil Engineer and our potential builder and reviewed some of the site grading and preparation issues. At home, I will be preparing drawings for pricing in the near future.

I will probably be returning to Tanzania in August to kick off the construction of the first 2 classrom buildings, each one having 2 classrooms and a small office for the Teachers.

End of Update

GONGALI VILLAGE CLASSROOMS 5,6,7 & EDITH GVORA HIGH SCHOOL

Hi All

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE NO. 3 - 5 MAY 2014

Gongali Primary School Classrom 5,6,7 Project

Work continues at the site. The "Magic Mathew" crew has announced they are ahead of schedule. We should have a nicely completed building in time for its opening celebrations on 11 May. The walls are plastered ready for painting. Electrical conduit has been installed in the walls and ceiling space in anticipation of electricity being supplied to the site (see below). Exterior painting is complete and the glass windows are being installed.

Gongali classrooms 5,6,7 - 95% complete

John Lutes solar power gift to the Mollel family

trimming window glass

The official school opening will include, for the first time, one of our Directors, Peter Daniels, joined by his girlfriend Olga Gill and friend Cathleen Hart. The other Canadian contingent is the family of a generous donor John Lutes, who sponsored not only a 2 classroom building at the Kilimamoja school, but a 2-family teacher residence building at the Gongali school. I am really looking forward to seeing how amazed they will be with the performances of the local villagers during the opening celebrations. As for myself, I never cease to be amazed.

Gongali Electricity Project - Gongali Primary School

Thanks to the generous donation of Mark Burrowes of Burrmech Consulting Inc in Victoria, BC, electricity will be supplied to the Gongali Village Primary School site with a transformer connection to the nearby power line. It will mean literally getting the school out of the dark (in Tanzania, that's 6:00PM to 6:00 AM). The school will have computer classes (computers have already been donated by the local Gongali Model organization) and access to the internet which will accelerate learning a hundredfold. The teacher families, in the evenings, will be able to study, read, have access to media (and the world) and enjoy social time. The buildings can be used in the evenings for other community activities. This is a huge benefit to the local community as well as they will be able to tap into the system at a fraction of the cost.

I am dealing with the local utility company, Tanesco, to arrange a contract for the transformer/power line supply and installation. It will take 2 - 3 months to complete, hopefully in time for the fall academic term's start.

The Edit Gvora High School Project - Gongali

initiating the new high school site

We're embarking on our next project, a Secondary/High School,  which is the logical follow-up to our Gongali Primary school in the Gongali Village 10 km from the town of Karatu, Tanzania. Gongali is a village of 7,000 that now has 4 primary schools but desperately needs a secondary/ high school to allow the youngsters to continue their education. The school is possible through the generous donation of a fellow Victorian, Mr Anthony Gvora, and its name will memorialize his late wife Edith.

high school discussions with Dr Hilonga (R)
and the Gongali Village Mayor - Peter Hayshi (Centre)

The project development will eventually include classrooms, laboratories, a kitchen/dining hall, an administration block, a library, dormitories and teacher residences  and will provide 6 levels of education, Form 1 to 6. Secondary School, Form 1 to Form 4, has general courses of Mathematics, English, History, Civics, Geography, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Kiswahili and Agriculture. High School, Form 5, 6 specializes in the science courses of Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and Agriculture, with emphasis on laboratory work. See my attached site masterplan.

PSFA will build Phase 1 to start with; the Secondary School component. It will include the minimum buildings needed for government registration; 4 classrooms, an administration block and toilets. The remainder will be completed when future funding allows, either from the local government, ourselves or other NGO donors.

The construction will be a partnership between Primary Schools for Africa (PSFA) and the Gongali Village Government (GVG). PSFA will design and construct the buildings and GVG will be responsible for site services, ie, electricity, water, sewage, rainwater collection, roads and paths and landscaping. The regional government, the Karatu District Council Office (KDCO) and their Educational and Engineering Departments will provide design/technical standards and site engineering. 

We are fortunate to be also working with the local elites and their organization, The Gongali Model, who, under the creative leadership of Dr Askwar Hilonga and Mrs Ruth Elineema, will direct community support programs to ensure the continual success of the school  through its programs of sustainability, empowerment, creative fundraising initiatives and networking with local and international partners. 

I'm working with KDCO's Education and Engineering Department on the buildings' design, and once I have the drawings completed, will be tendering for construction contracts with local builder/tradesmen. I will meet with the District's Civil Engineer Julius Kaaya and his survey crew, at the site next week to stake out the corners of the buildings. Hopefully, by the time I leave to return to Canada on 17 May, we can start site preparation for the first buildings. 

Kilimamoja  Site Visit

solar power gift to head teacher

I visited the Kilimamoja site to have a look at the progress of the school. We have built 4-classroom and 2-Teacher Residences to date. After the always warm reception of children singing the traditional welcome song, I met the 2 teachers, head teacher Eliezer Massay and teacher Euclid Masaoe, who reported good news and not-so-good news. As an improvement, they will be receiving 2 additional government teachers in December this year to help with the increasing need for additional classes beyond their 4 (pre-school, Standard 1,2,3). But they also have urgent needs; 2 additional teacher residences, more desks and school supplies. I donated 100,000 Tsh to cover an additional year's supply of workbooks and pencils, but will have to look at our budget when returning to Canada to advise on the rest. 

a bounteous garden

The head teacher's home in the Stringam Residence is looking well settled into. Eliezer and his wife have built a traditional hut to cook meals. They have 20 chickens and plenty of vegetables; pumpkin, spinach, peas, beans and small crops of maize and sunflower. They are happy with their new life in this bounteous area with its wonderful panoramic views (I'm a little, no, a lot, envious).

the new kitchen hut

The John Lutes gift of a home solar power kit was enthusiastically received. No more long journeys into the town to charge cell phones, and to now have evening lighting was indescribably appreciated.

the Stringam residence - home to the Massay family

Our Glenwood Elementary Connection 

The Canadian sister school to our Gongali village School has been having fun with its continual efforts to raise funds for school supplies and eventually, the construction of a classroom. Their 5-line art fundraising is enjoying success as some of the artwork produced by the Gongali kids has been sold. The following is an excerpt from Glenwood's project teacher, James White's email to me:

From:  James White <mymrwhitesweb@gmail.com>

My class wanted to say Happy Grand Opening to the kids at Gongali Village School!

We hope they like their letters and bracelets.

Here are some pictures from my class.

1. Julianne Moon (Grade 1) and her Great Grandmother bought Simon's art for $10

2. Emma Walsh (Grade 4) and her grandmother bought Rither's 5-line art for $10

3. Jullianee's great grandmother bought Maria's art too for  $10. 

4. the class out in the park.

End of Update

Alan R. Roy, Founder & Executive Director
Primary Schools For Africa Society
3301 Wordsworth St, Victoria, BC, V8P 4B9
Tel: 250-598-4207

GONGALI VILLAGE SCHOOL - CLASSROOMS 5,6,7

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE NO 2 - 30 APRIL 2014

Hi All

Greetings from Africa (Tanzania)

Gongali School Site. 

all roof trusses in place

In the past two weeks since arriving, the work has steadily progressed, thanks to the consistent and good quality workmanship of Mathew’s crew imported from Arusha. The walls are plastered, and the roof framing is almost finished. I don’t know where he found these guys, but they are a godsend to the project. Not that the previous locals were faulty; it’s just that Mathew decided on raising the bar of construction quality. The general contractor is still our competent Fabian Ammas, but this project will set the standard for him for future projects.

The crew of eleven has a base of three skilled tradesmen; Abrahaman the concreter, Hassan the carpenter, and Anthony the painter. They are devoted to this project. At no extra cost, all of them are camping out on site away from the comforts of their own homes and families. They sleep on sacks of grain in the storage room of the Kitchen/Dining Hall building; bargaining for food from the locals, minimally washing themselves and their clothing, basically living as the epitome of simplicity. Despite their hardships (according to our standards), they are congenial and cooperative, readily correcting occasional deficiencies Mathew and I have noted.

Whaddya mean I cut it too short!!

I spent my usual time helping with the roof framing as it’s the only thing I could do with any degree of expertise. I didn’t bring any new tools (saws, hammers) this time due to my already overloaded baggage, and as a result, experienced the hardship of their dull saws and crude hammers. Next time for sure, I will bring some. We worked well together, alleviating the discomfort of the sun’s heat with an occasional sprinkling of humorous banter. To have me working alongside them is a welcome break from their routine, these Tanzanians always being amazed at the rooftop agility of a “mzungu babu mkubwa”.

Life in Karatu

My daily routine in Karatu is set; a comfortable room at the Lutheran Hostel Hotel not far from the town, reasonable quality meals, hot showers... It’s slow and intermittent, but I’ve got internet and electricity for my computer work.

My early morning hour-long bike rides to Bashay Town and back help with the stresses of life here. The first stretch of road on the smooth wide-shouldered highway out of Karatu is down a long hill, where I fly at up to 60 km/hr for two kilometers, escaping the dust and noise of Karatu Town, into the panoramic foothills on the doorstep to the national parks of Ngorongo and Serengeti.

I pass many locals walking long distances to town to work, and they never hesitate to greet with wonderful smiles. The kids and toddlers playing in front yards close to the highway excitedly shout out to me. They must marvel at the unusual sight of a white person madly pedaling just for the sake of exercising. They only regard their bicycles as a workhorse for transporting firewood, building materials and heavy bags of grain.

I slowly passed one elderly “babu”, walking, straining to push his bike up a long hill and was taken a little aback by the contents of his handlebar basket; a severed head of an ox. I later queried Mathew who explained that it is boiled and cooked to make some kind of health potion.

on the way back home with the week's water supply

I marvel too at some amazing sights; the top of my list is how cattle used to haul drums of farmers’ domestic water from distant water points in villages are slapped on their butts and sent home unaccompanied while, I guess, their owner stays around the water point to take advantage of some needed social time with neighbours.

the Gongali High School site - our next possible project

The Next School Project

I’m now working on the feasibility of the next school project and the Gongali High School looks like a promising one. Peter Hayshi, the village mayor, has already assigned a building committee, and we are having meetings at the site to test my conceptual layout. More to come…

local kids from the Gongali Primary School

Gongali Electricity Project

I finished the pricing from the local Utilities company and electrical contractor and am awaiting final approval of a funding source. More to come on this too...

End of Update.