Disaster Response Sierra Leone Project #23092

Build A New Home for Ebola Orphans in Sierra Leone

by Develop Africa, Inc.

Project Report | Mar 27, 2017
Refocusing To Enhancing The Current Home

By Sylvester Renner | Project Leader

ready to drop pump down well

Dear project supporters

Since we launched this project a year ago, we have had lengthy discussions with regard to moving to a new home. We worked with a local realtor and visited at least 3 properties. We have also re-evaluated the current home in terms of the benefits that it provides.

At the current home, the children are well integrated into the community. The community is providing a supporting social structure. We determined that by moving them from the current home, we would be uprooting them from an environment that is sympathetic and encouraging. The community is playing an important role in terms of providing care and a sense of belonging.

With these factors in mind and given that we have not been able to raise the needed funds, we have decided to phase out this project. For the immediate future, we are focusing instead on improving facilities at the current home.

Through other microprojects, we raised some of the funds needed to install the water tank. We realized that we needed to bring in a solar expert to get fully test the pump. This test was necessary to help confirm the feasibility of the proposed water tank install location. Your donations so far this year - $200 - helped to cover the cost of this feasibility test. This test took place on Saturday, March 18 and the pump successfully delivered water to the proposed tank location. This ideal location is around 100 feet away from the well. You can see photos of this test here.

With this test completed, we hope to receive a visual drawing and updated estimate for the construction of the tank platform in the next week. We hope to start construction in the next month.

In the next week or so, we will be phasing out this project. For future updates and more information about the Dream Home, we invite you to sign up for notifications at the Main Dream Home Project. Thanks again for your support and involvement.

With appreciation
The Develop Africa Team

solar panels powering pump

pump supplied water over 150 feet away

Links:

solar pump test

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Jan 3, 2017
The Dream Home Gets a Paint Refresh

By Sylvester Renner | Project Leader

Oct 17, 2016
Site Visit By Sylvester - Discussions With Realtor

By Sylvester Renner | Project Leader

Dear Project Supporters,

At the end of July, Sylvester made a 2 week project visit to Sierra Leone. The Dream Home was one of the top reasons for his trip.

He reports on his trip as follows:

"The trip provided me with the opportunity to observe, learn, interact and evaluate. I spent quality time with the Dream Home kids as a group and also on a one-to-one basis. I interacted with each of the kids individually. I wanted to understand their fears and dreams. I wanted to learn more about the challenges that they are facing. I wanted to see what they are experiencing at the home.

I saw great potential in each of the kids. I saw them as leaders in the future, people who would tell their story of how they came up out of nothing. Given the right opportunities, the sky is their limit.

I was also able to personally examine the Dream Home building and facilities with a critical eye. The facilities are not ideal and the property is not fenced. There is no central dining room / family room and the bedrooms are cramped / small. There is a definite need to move to a better and more conducive house.

I visited 2 available houses that we could lease. One of the homes that I visited is located at Juba Hill - and we provided photos in a previous report. New photos that I took are available here. This house is ideally located and has 6 large bedrooms, a spacious living room and additional housing options for the Home Director / Matron. This would be a great new home for the orphanage.

There are 3 key considerations that we discussed while I was there:

1. The cost of the Juba house lease is $12,000 annually. This new home would probably also require additional expenses on utilities, staffing etc.

2. We would have to find new schools for the kids - as this new home is several miles away from current schools and in a different neighborhood / division. Moving the kids in the middle of the calendar year would necessitate added planning to ensure the kids re-settle well into new schools.

3. We would need to secure a bus to facilitate transportation to and from school.

These considerations are all achievable - with your support. Together we can do so much more."

We are continuing to explore options to secure the needed funds. Should you have any suggestions or questions, please do not hesitate to reach out and contact us.

With great appreciation,
The Develop Africa & Dream Home Teams

Links:

More photos of Juba Hill House

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