Help Complete and equip the new classroom building
Status: 
Dear Neighbours,
I am glad to bring to your attention the developments so far. We have been able to lift three classroom past the ring beam level. We are looking for shutting, plaster, furniture ,books , and all those things that go alongside good learning of the children. Although we have achieved this level, we are still worried given the time of start of the next academic year which is 1st Feb 2010.
We request your assistance in any one of the things above so that when the term starts, the children go their new classroom rather than their makeshift which is displayed on this page.
My Gratitude in advance for your urgent help.
Picture:
Project: Village talk
Simon - did you do all of this in the past month??? I only remember seeing the concrete floor! And, you are now teaching in the church, correct??? Didn't you say you could get the local carpenters to build the desks and benches as long as we could provide them with a tree to cut up and use?>?? Did you find the cost??? When you are asking people on Nabuur to help with shutters, metal roofs, etc. - you must tell them how much it will cost - and I doubt very much you will get any money from people in the 'drought'!! How many students will attend? Can you buy a used aluminum roof? how can they teach over the sound of rain on such a roof? Isn't it possible to use bamboo temporarily with a blue tarp??? It is really hard to advise you when we do not know What is available.....
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Ginger :)
Congratulations Simon, the project seems to be progressing well. Virginia, i agree with the iron roofing sheets making noise but it is what is most used as its cheaper and allows rainwater collection. However i think we need to find a solution to the roofs for example we maybe need a specialist in eco building as a volunteer for guidance. Anyone know anyone?? Like building Adobe flat roofs, domes, green roofs generally like sedum roofs. I have searched and now have an idea but even the search for the sedum enough to make a roof with hasnt yielded much.
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Yours in Service
JIS Birungi
JOANNE, how is the BUTAMBALA area doing? Thanks for the good info on sedum roofs but no one yet seems to provide any much about it! Heard from anyone about it so far? we would do in our next building. Let me hear you say yes.
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WITH GOD WE CAN. Good shepherd, a school founded to reach out to the vulnerable who wish
to access quality education at a low cost. A school standing on christian values
and ethics; meant to produce morally patriotic citizens.
Hi Simon, Butambala is fair as we are now just waiting for veg seed and accumulating more ovacado seeds to plant in the tree planting program. Am on the look out for sedum seeds and will let you know if i get any as i also want to use them but as they are scarce may resort to thatching using vertiver grass (have to wait a whole year) for some buildings. Not much has taken place so far as we would have liked but 2010 will see more changes for the better. BTW am liking the progress i Kameke.
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Yours in Service
JIS Birungi
Much love and Merry X-mas, Happy new year 2010 to all of neighbors who are supporting Kameke Village. I am praying for you guys. I really appreciate the efforts that you are making toward the success of Kameke village. Let's continue to pray for the rest of needs. God is making ways.
Excellent JOB Simon and Mum Ginger.
with love,
John
Hi all neighbours,
Ginger raised a number of questions for me that i should respond to:
1.Yes, you remember seeing only the concrete floor and now it is a block; RICK ELLIS supported us to the level that the pictures show; and we are highly grateful to him and his generous contribution.
2.The children are now studying in the church as you requested . However , the academic term is also coming to an end on 27thNov,2009. It would be good that when the new academic year starts, should find them also moved in to their new classrooms.
3.I did find local carpenters to make seats as you asked but they need us to provide timber pieces for them . This means buying a tree that can be converted into lumber. And this is anything between $320-500.And this is fair considering that one gets all the sizes and dimensions of lumber according to need.
4.I have not yet got a response from Biblionef for books requested for the kids.I request that neighbours help with supplies too, since the kids need these as well when the academic year starts.
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WITH GOD WE CAN. Good shepherd, a school founded to reach out to the vulnerable who wish
to access quality education at a low cost. A school standing on christian values
and ethics; meant to produce morally upright citizens.
Simon - I am so excited about the school's progress - it is quite amazing in this short time! and want to personally thank Rick Ellis - thanks Rick!!! I would like to suggest that we buy a tree on the low end and see how far it gets - and if we have to buy more later, well, then that's what we will do. Does biblionef have an office Uganda - I forget???? I have never dealt with them - I remember Jen said they were easy to get in touch with and get a response from - maybe you just have to keep bugging them. The problem is - for neighbors to get books and materials to you - well the postage would double the cost of the materials!!! seriously - Even if I were able to get free books - it would take hundred of dollars to ship what you need - and 2 months to arrive - not a good plan. So it seems that biblionef is the way. What would it cost you to buy the minimum amount of books for the children there??? We get supplies at the beginning of school VERY cheap here - perhaps it is the same there?
Last but not least - did you get the tin roof to complete the school? So we are now down to:
1) tree for desks and chairs 2)writing books & supplies (used to cost about $3 per student) 3)blackboards that teachers write on? and chalk
Oh! yes - you must build a water catcher from the roof to horizontal gutters that then lead down to a big barrel on the ground. have you seen this? do you know what I am talking about?
Still a lot to do, Simon - but I am so happy about your progress.
Warm regards,
Ginger :)
Thanks for for the encouragement and your almost hands on approach, we are getting somewhere at least now.Unfortunately,biblionef does not have an office in Uganda and look too hard to penetrate! Is it possible to try through Jennifer? She registered some success with them may be she knows the trick.
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WITH GOD WE CAN. Good shepherd, a school founded to reach out to the vulnerable who wish
to access quality education at a low cost. A school standing on Christian values
and ethics; meant to produce morally upright and patriotic citizens.
Just a heads up - I have not been able to get in contact with Jennifer for months - well, once, but I think she is no longer active with Nabuur. She had a response from biblionef quite a while ago - and people recently have said they are totally backed up and the waiting list is 8 months. At least put your name on the waiting list! I have also been trying without any luck to get though to Barb Briggs - she knows who paid for a well in Kyomya and the name of the company who sends large shipping containers of relief goods over. We really need to get in touch with them for books and clothing for several villages. Can anyone help??
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Ginger :)
Please refer to the second image from the top, showing two men standing at the corner of the structure where two walls meet at 90 degrees.
It is customary in most regions, to provide a column at strategic locations including the corners. Depending on the historic seismic data of the region, these columns are 'reinforced' based on structural load calculations which also take into account the historic seismic data of the region. Such a column is not visible in this image.
A discussion with a professional and experienced 'structural' engineer might help throw up the risks involved, even though the construction of walls seems to be completed up to the roof level as I can see in the other images. Other aspects of protection from seismic movements might also be got examined.
Vijai
Dear Vijai,
Fore most I am happy to receive you as my friend and indeed the the friend of the children of Kameke.
Secondly, thanks for the advice given on the structure, the engineer I contracted assured me that he had taken precaution of that and also the seismic history of the area does not so much threaten.
A am looking forward to more interaction and relationship.
Thank you, Simon.
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WITH GOD WE CAN. Good shepherd, a school founded to reach out to the vulnerable who wish
to access quality education at a low cost. A school standing on christian values
and ethics; meant to produce morally upright citizens.
Good job my prayers for you to have the classrooms completed before schools open again.
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Stanley Okurut
Hi stanley,
Thank you for your kind comment and support, your prayers for us continue to work out.
Eyalama noi (Thank you)
Simon
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WITH GOD WE CAN. Good shepherd, a school founded to reach out to the vulnerable who wish
to access quality education at a low cost. A school standing on christian values
and ethics; meant to produce morally upright citizens
Simon - if you need some physical labor - to get this done as quickly as possible, I extended an invitation to the Wakitaka Youth Development. I hope that was OK with you. IN exchange you can share a little pig info with them - and we have got to find out the healthiest cheapest diet. I am encouraging them to go on with the pig farming, but they thought they might not be ready. This brings up the need for teaching young people the needs of pigs - especially if we try to give some of the babies away. this can be a course in school - just like new agricultural techniques with the Drip System and No Til. Have you been able to get in touch with John to see how much it would cost to mail you some drip hose??? We will need to find out what length you need for the hoses - but just starting with a small garden - a garden we can teach the children so they will have a healthier, better farming future.
That's it for now. Check in with Emma - I trust you have his phone number?
Regards,
Ginger
Simon - how much is it going to cost to cover the 3 classrooms with the tin /aluminum sheets???? Would it be cheaper to have wood? Also, you neecd to add to both the cost of rain catching gutters and the big rain barrels they collect in-
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Ginger :)