First came the foundation then the framing and finally the brick was laid and finished with plaster. If you’ve been following our construction progress you’ve seen the smiling faces of the students as they started school in the new Rock of Ages (ROA) facility in February. Though the students were sent home shortly after the beginning of the term due to Covid, there are hopes they will return as early as September. Before school resumes, however, Hands4Uganda (H4U) hopes to enable the finishing touches to the primary facility including painting, plumbing, and slope stabilization.
Painting the exterior of the building is an important final step in securing the building from weather damage. With the rainy season quickly approaching, rain and wind will take its toll on the building if it is not properly sealed with a protective layer of paint.
“So much has gone into the construction of this beautiful building but most recently we have been focused on the protection of our students and staff during this difficult time of Covid. We are now hoping to paint the building before the rainy season comes and the students return to school”, stated Abdu Wasswa, ROA Program Facilitator.
A new nontoxic anti-mosquito paint has been proven to not only protect exteriors from the elements, but paralyzes mosquitoes on contact. This innovative paint could protect ROA students and staff even further from the wide-spread disease of malaria. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could protect both the building the students with a simple coat of paint?
When the school opened its doors in February the second-floor plumbing was not yet complete and H4U would like nothing more than to bring the students back to school with sufficient plumbing. Access to running water and flushing toilets on both the ground and upper floor will further ensure proper hand washing - a hygiene practice that is more important now than ever as all work to halt the spread of COVID-19.
And finally, because so much of H4U’s efforts have been on the protection of the students and staff through food distribution and medical assistance over the past several months, efforts to raise funds to begin construction of the new kitchen/dining/community center are on hold. As a result student meals will continue to be prepared in a small shanty moved from the former ROA location. This temporary kitchen was placed on a slope next to the new school and includes a cement slab, called a soak pit, that holds water runoff from the kitchen. However, with the rainy season quickly approaching, the slope that the students must walk up to receive their food will need to be stabilized to prevent erosion around the kitchen area and to maintain the integrity of the soak pit.
Please consider contributing to the paint, plumbing or slope stabilization and help put the finishing touches on the new facility before the students return to school.
