Month: March 2018
Construction continues, and the rains are good for the school crops!
Wood frames are rented to make the doors and windows.
Our groundsman, Chungu, has been creating a road lines with white painted rocks for our school bus route on the grounds.
7 hours away, on fertile soil, we are growing school crops of maize and beans to feed our school 5 months from planting.
First building construction costs and start of second building
As the walls begin to take shape, I wanted to tally what supplies went into the first school building and washroom building. Thanks to Emanuel Boaz’s detailed book keeping, I can view every charge, and the project costs are very transparent.
First school building–3600 cement blocks @ 1500 tsh or .68 cents =$2,448 usd
Washroom building–2000 cement blocks @ 1500 tsh or .68 cents =$1,360 usd
613 bags of cement @ 12,000 tsh to 14,500 tsh per bag or $5.42-$6.55 per bag =$3613 usd
6 loads of sand @ 400,000 tsh each=$180 =$1080 usd
7 loads of moram @ 250,000 tsh each=$114=$798 usd
2 loads of pebbles @ 900,000 tsh each=$407=$814 usd
3 loads of sand @ 150,000 tsh each=$68=$201 usd
1 load of rocks for washroom hole @ 100,000 tsh=$45 usd
Brown metal roof with wood supports: $7,848 usd ($3,645 for wood/nails, $3,300 for roofing sheets, $903 to install)
Painting of school plus paint: $1,472 (Paint $795 and labor $677)
Glass for windows, contractor payment and attaching: $903 usd
Steel related items: $2,159 usd
Contractor payment for all the labor: $4,224 usd
GRAND TOTAL for 4 classrooms and washroom = $26,965
 Last year, we estimated $20,000 for a
2-classroom building and washrooms. Instead we built a 4-classroom building and washrooms.
 I think we built a lot for our dollars!
Rainy season is upon Tanzania, but construction continues the best it can.
The truck was getting stuck in the mud, so had to drop the pebbles unfortunately far away from the workers, but at least they arrived to allow us to make concrete for the classroom floors.
Sand arrived on a drier day.
