Wednesday 29 August 2012

Day 17: Rebbey Junior School Renovation

Wednesday, August 22

The majority of the day was spent back at Rebbey Junior School. The workers had one room almost completely plastered, so it was the girl’s turn to go sand and paint! Before we could begin, we had to go buy the supplies and thought we would patronize a local “hardware store.” This store had everything from flippers and floaties to paint and brushes, and it was all within a building the size of my bathroom. Even though we had good intentions of buying from them, the people often jack up the prices for us because they think we have a lot of money. Since this project is funded solely on donations, we had to get the best price possible, so we ended up walking nearly a mile to another store. Here we got all the supplies we needed – and then had the mile long walk back carrying gallons of paint! We finally made it back to the school and began our work. Let me tell you, sanding walls is no easy feat when you do it by hand.

The rest of the day was spent putting on primer. Since many different types of plaster were used, some parts of the wall were light gray while others were black, so primer was a must! Even though we only got the primer done today, eventually all the walls will be painted and one will have the alphabet painted on with coordinating pictures such as “A a and apple, B b and ball,” etc..


Before we left, the teacher gave us a tour of the rest of the mud hut. There was one large room, an office, and then several smaller rooms. All of the rooms were intended to be classrooms, but the founders couldn’t afford them all, so as of now, they are being rented out and that money then goes to fund the school. I also got a picture of their shower/bathroom. It merely consists of a hole in the ground, and that’s it.

I was so happy to be helping out at the school and actually making a difference in the lives of these children. Even though they have next to nothing, there is always a smile on their faces. It is truly heartwarming and an inspiration to us all!

Before
 
 
After

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