Soanierana update

A quick update on Azafady’s school build in Soanierana:

On the 12th of May, the April Pioneers (and short-term construction volunteers) began their first bush placement at Soanierana. Since I was last there in February, a lot of progress had been made: the walls were rendered, the floors of the classrooms rock-woven to provide foundations, and the timbers for the roof were in place. With a large group of 14, we were hoping to get quite a lot done in the three week visit, and we did.

With the help of Azafady’s construction team, we completed the floors; began painting the walls, doors and windows; built the verandah at the front of the school; raised a dais at the front of each classroom for the teacher to stand on; and landscaped the site. At the same time the professionals fitted the roof, doors, and windows, and began finishing the lintels, window-sills and countless other details.

We also began building a new latrine block at the school, to provide capacity for the increased numbers of students expected at the CEG. This required us to make hundreds of breeze blocks using cement and moulds – hard work on sunny days! Once dry, the blocks were used to build the walls of the pit and building itself, with a solid concrete and rebar slab providing the floor in-between.

In a week or so the Pioneers and I will be returning to Soanierana one last time, to finish the school and latrine block, then attend the opening ceremony! Very exciting to see how far it’s come in just a few short months.