Construction at Kalangu!

Due to the generous support of CNOS and numerous individual donors, SEPO was in a position to assist Kalangu with a few of their critical needs. After the excitement of delivering school supplies to Kalangu teachers and students, SEPO sat down with the parents, teachers, and administration to discuss possible projects and needs at Kalangu.

It is clear from our discussions with the parents, teachers, and community that Kalangu’s most pressing need is for additional classroom space. They are currently serving over 400 students with only 4 classroom – which means that classes have to stagger/rotate and students only learn for half a day (to make room for others).

In fact, the PTA had already started trying to raise the materials needed to construct an additional school block with 3 classrooms to relieve the current congestion. The PTA planned to require all families to bring 1 bag of cement at the beginning of the next term. A bag of cement costs approximately $10. Given the economic position of most Kalangu families (where $15 is approximately what they live on for an entire month), an extra $10 is not easy to come by (and is contrary to the principle of free primary education).

While the total cost of the new building is beyond the scope of SEPO’s resources at the moment, SEPO committed to funding the initial stages of the project by purchasing half of the cement that will be needed to make the cement blocks for building. The Kalangu PTA and parents committed to providing the labor and expertise in brick making and construction.

On July 5th, the PTA purchased the cement to begin construction. Each weekend since, parents meet at Kalangu on Saturdays to make cement blocks. Those with expertise in brick-making lead the volunteers through the process. In the afternoons, some of the women cook a large lunch for all the workers.

Check out all the action in the Kalangu Construction photo gallery.

As the project continues, the PTA will continue to ask families that are capable to donate a bag of cement. And last weekend, each of the teachers at Kalangu also donated a bag of cement as a contribution to the community they serve.

Check out videos of all the activities below or on SEPO’s Youtube channel.

As the process moves forward, SEPO will continue to look for the resources to support this critical project to expand Kalangu’s ability to serve its students.  If you are interested, get in touch!