Makowe Primary Schools is situated in the Chidamoyo rural areas, approx 300km North West of the capital Harare.
Most of the local community are subsistence farmers with very little income.
We have just sent the funds to build a second classroom block (so we can house all 351 students) and work will begin on it as soon as the 3 teachers accommodation houses are complete (ETC Nov 2011). In addition to the building work, we are working very closely with the community to devise ways that they can raise their own funds to support the school.
Currently the school has two pole and dagga (mud) huts for approx 200 pupils which were built by the local community. Some lessons are taken outside under a tree. The school is funded by schools fees from the pupils which are minimal. Many families can’t afford to pay for their children’s schooling.
The project is to build two double classroom blocks to provide four classrooms each housing approx 50 pupils.
It has been agreed that the parents of the pupils will make the bricks and provide free labour, where safe, to ensure they have a stake in the project. This has already began.
Two people from ZRSDP recently visited the school site in February 2009, October 2009 and August 2010 using self funding.
The new classroom blocks are now built and the water pump fixed!
Thanks to fundraising in 2012, all the rest of the kit (desks, chairs, books etc…) also arrived and the children started having lessons under a roof with text books for the first time.
As a result of the classroom block, Makowe is now recognized as an official Zimbabwe school – which means that the government are prepared to send better teachers.
BREAKDOWN OF FUNDS:
Each classroom block will be built to Zimbabwe government standards.
– Building Materials and Transport of Building Materials- £9,000 to £11,000 (Per double classroom block)
This including door frames, window frames, roof tiles, cement, wooden roof frames, nails, screws etc. As mentioned earlier, the parents
of the pupils will build the bricks
– All non skilled labour e.g. Transporting sand to the building site, construction of bricks etc will be provided free by the parents of the pupils.
The estimated cost of labour is actual construction of the classroom, where it is necessary for health and safety reasons to employee skilled workers.
This will be paid during the construction process
– Monitoring and Evaluation.
The project will be managed by Kathy McCarthy who runs the Chidamoyo hospital in Chidamoyo rural areas.
Kathy is an expat from the US who has lived in and run Chidamoyo hospital for the last 28 years.
Kathy has successfully managed three projects, an AIDS Education centre and two double classroom blocks on behalf of ZRSDP. Kathy will provide receipts for all materials and expenses.
All travel expenses will be met by people attending (NOT the charity).
Copies of receipts, photos and videos of the project will be made available to all project donars where available.