It is great to be back at Matandani! While getting the tour of the school with Kenneth, I am so impressed with how Matandani has kept the school looking great, fully maintained and working well! Popping my head into some of the classes, I watch as the teachers are busy teaching their large classes. Again i’m impressed to see classes working in groups while practising for their end of year exams. From looking at posters on the wall and the general atmosphere in the classrooms… it is clear that Matandani is working super hard!
While on the walk checking on the facilities – I even got to have my first drink from the new taps/sinks in each of the classrooms! They are such a wonderful addition to the classrooms… and extremely well used by teachers and children!
– Kenneth had some ideas on some minor but immediately needed improvements. After discussing these and acknowledging the importance of these plans…. I gave the go ahead to these mini projects. Check them out below:
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The first idea was to construct two mobile blackboards so that large classes could split and go outside under the tree (now that the rains are over). Materials were bought and a local carpenter built them. They are just awaiting some blackboard paint now before they will be in use!
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he second idea was to build a new water tank at each of the toilets. The tap for filling buckets so that the children could flush the toilets wasn’t working out… so the idea came about of building a small water reservoir at each toilet where you can just dip a bucket in instantly and use it to flush the toilets. These are complete now and a huge success. Not only is it easy to fill the buckets, there is always water in these tanks even if the water in the pipes have ran out for a day or two! The children are delighted.
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Other improvements made to the toilets include individual locks on each of the toilet doors so that only the standard that the toilet is for can be used by that class. Also, the two older toilet blocks needed some repairs to the main wall as it was starting to crack. A new pillar was constructed at each to make it strong again.
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The paintings around the classrooms have been finished since I was last at Matandani… and as you can see from the pictures, the classrooms look great!
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Work on the football pitch has been going on for the year now and it is very near completion! It has taken a massive effort from the local community and children to help with the planting of grass and the watering. The pitch is nice and flat and it is 90% covered in grass now. It wont be long till the children are enjoying this new facility!
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Drainage has been a problem for years, but a lot of work and planning has been going into reducing this problem. It was decided that a new water retaining wall was needed near the toilets to stop the rains water from flooding onto the football pitch. This flooding is bad as it brings with it too much sand and also that the water takes away the good soil that we have been able to put on the new pitch! This wall is almost complete and currently a new drainage ditch is been dug.
