‘Hoe kijkt coördinator Mussa Nyirenda terug op het project?’

De partner vertelt... van 14 september 2023 door Mussa Nyirenda

Elk jaar vragen we onze partner hoe het project is gegaan en welke lessen de partner heeft geleerd.

CONTEXT AND SUMMARY
* Describe the original plan/idea for the project. Has the project been executed as planned?
The original plan was to construct 2 classrooms with an office and a double toilet with GCR. This plan was executed as planned.

* Give a (short) general description of the implementation of the project.
The project was implemented well and successfully because there was good interaction between the participants and the locals. the work on the construction site also went on well as so many community members worked side by side with the participants which made it possible for the construction work to go fast. By the time of the handover the roof was already on top.

*How do you look back on the following topics? How was it arranged, what went well, what could be done better?
CONSTRUCTION
- Buildings worked on
The construction went on well but at first the brick layers struggled to set the structure because it was the first time working with pressed bricks but it only took them one day to set and thereafter everything went on well without problems. The participants joined and also did well in assisting with bricklaying and the other works on the construction such as digging the pit latrine, filling the foundation and ferrying sand and bricks. Use of the pressed bricks has proved to be the best way for construction despite that more cement is required for construction. Pressed bricks will help mitigate the impact of climate change as there will be no cutting down of trees for burnt bricks. The only change that we will need to make for the next projects is size of the pressed bricks because the ones used were bigger than the ones for teachers houses.

- Tasks to be done
The remaining tasks to be done are finishing plastering on the walls, beam filling, flooring, pointing, skirting, pointing, drainage and painting.

PROGRAMS
- Children program
The childrens work program took place at schools soccer field and everything went on well as there were two teachers who translated for the participants. The children and participants had fun as they shared bible stories, games, dances and drawings.

- Cultural and touristic outings
The group did a lot of cultural activities such as visiting homes, cooking pancakes with the locals, helping with cooking in the kitchen, they also visited a flee market to buy some Malawian stuff. The group opted to go to the swimming pool in Lilongwe at crossroads hotel. The participants together with the locals also climbed the mountain to enjoy the view.

- Life Skills program and Football for Water (also include the amount of tranings given and the number of people from the community actively involved in training).
The life skills training went as planned and on average 8 girls and 7 boys took part. the trainings were done for three days. The first day was a challenge to bring contact between the participants and the children but on second day they opened up and all went well.
Football for water was done but without training. An official from health a Heath Surveillance Assistant (HSA) was invited to give a speech on sanitation and hygiene and Public Address system was hired for the event. The teams that played were Participants vs locals and everything went on well as over 100 people patronized the event.

COOPERATION AND INVOLVEMENT
- Leadership team World Servants
There was very good cooperation amongst the leadership. Jan Paul also gave good direction and was a great inspiration. The staff did things together and it was good for the group. the leaders also came up with a number of activities that brought participants and locals together.

- Local leaders / key persons
The key persons such as the SMC/ PTA played a crucial role of making sure that people were coming to work on construction site but also that they were taking part in the activities at the school. They also guided the participants to different places including the climb to the mountain.

- Community
The community was actively involved in the construction work as well as on the activities at the school. they were always present to interact with the participants through different activities such as construction, church service, home visits and traditional dances. The community was also involved in ferrying sand, bricks, filling the foundation and drawing water.

- Beneficiaries
The learners who are the primary beneficiaries of the project took part in the childrens program and had a lot of fun with the participants through learning songs, playing different games, dances and drawings.

- (Local) authorities
Local authorities played an oversight role by making sure that their subjects were coming for the different activities at the school. They collaborated well with the members of the SMC/ PTA on making sure that their subjects were always available on the construction site.

FACILITATION OF THE TEAM
- Accommodation
Accommodation was arranged in 4 classrooms of which the girls occupied 2 rooms while boys also occupied 2 rooms and there was enough space for all of them.

- Food
Food was prepared from a local kitchen and meals were served in a nearby CCAP church which acted as a dining and also a hall for participants activities. The meals served were good for the participants as no serious illnesses were reported due to hygiene related issues.

- Transportation
Transportation was always available because the jeep and the lorry was on site and the bus was also available when needed. we didn't experience any challenges with transportation throughout the project implementation.

- Safety
We did not experience safety problems the entire period of the project implementation.

LESSONS LEARNED
The biggest struggle on this project was that there was no bridge to connect to the school. we were able to construct a bridge before the arrival of the group and cars are able to pass without problems. On the part of World Servants it is our feeling that so far organization of the projects is good.