Construction of the classroom

At the beginning of this week, we set to work on laying bricks for the new classroom building. Even before laying the first course of bricks, we had to carefully measure the entire area and stake out the floor plan. To prevent undesirable cracking of the concrete, we cut expansion joints into it, allowing for controlled movement of the structure. Now we are fully continuing with the bricklaying, which will keep us busy for some time to come.

For greater strength and protection against cracking, we drilled special reinforcement into selected bricks. At the same time, we prepared the foundations for future utility lines—running water supply and sewage pipes through them, which we will return to during the finishing works.

After four months of intensive preparations, construction has finally begun on our second project of the year—the composting toilets. First, we thoroughly cleared the entire area and removed the existing minor vegetation. This was followed by excavating the foundations for the future building and laying the first course of blocks. The next step will be filling them with concrete.

The start of construction was also marked by the submission of the report for the 2nd milestone of the project. We sent a detailed description of the entire preparatory phase, complete with photos from the site, to our colleagues at the UNDP. We are pleased that we managed to submit everything ahead of schedule, fulfilling our project commitments with flying colors.

But our work is not just about building. Collaboration with the local community is equally important to us. Therefore, Bety, Anežka, and Julča prepared marketing education for local women as part of the sewing workshop. Using illustrative pictures and simple materials, they showed them how to properly price their products so they can sell them successfully in the market.

In addition to the work on the construction sites, this week also brought changes to our team. While one great group of volunteers left us, a new group arrived right after, bringing plenty of fresh energy, enthusiasm, and valuable experience to Kashitu. Thanks to them, we will be able to get a lot of work done in the coming weeks—both on the construction site and across the campus.