
Agwata parents making bricks Jan 2013
I have just returned from a month in Uganda visiting Agwata village and talking with our construction contractor who will be working on the 2 classroom blocks for which we have almost completed our fundraising. The contractor is ready to begin work as soon as we give him the go ahead and as soon as the community completes its portion of the work. The community is finishing its brick making and the gathering of the sand and small rocks needed for the construction. They had to wait until the dry season (January and February) to do this.
The community has divided itself into various worker teams and each team is assigned a certain day to do its work. Another volunteer, Michele, and I were excited to see all the activity taking place, making the bricks. Soon there will be enough bricks made that they can be "burned" so they are ready to be used in construction.
We have spoken with the community leaders regarding when the needed bricks and other materials will be ready. We expect that construction will begin sometime in late March or early April. Another Nursery teacher has already been hired, and the new Nursery class is presently meeting in the existing mud and thatch building until the new classroom block is completed. In early March, the school parents will re-thatch and re-mud portions of this building so it is secure by the time the rains begin later in March.

Men putting mud into brick molds

Tough job--happy to do it!

Pouring out molded brick to dry

Molded bricks drying under straw

Gathered sand from dry riverbed area Feb 2013