After a construction period of 8-9 months, the time has come: the largest and most dilapidated building of the “Amuro-Mgbom Primary and Secondary School” will be completed shortly. The construction work will end in the course of April and then the students can move into the “new” building. A big milestone for the school, but also for us.
Dismantling work began on July 16, 2021. The soil conditions posed a particular challenge. We found that the reason the building broke and fell apart was the problematic soil conditions. The entire subsoil is not stable because it is clay soil.
For this reason, we erected stronger pillars with more concrete reinforcement than planned and connected the pillars with concrete. Along the roof we used concrete parapets instead of wood as this is much more durable. In some cases, double sustaining walls were used and the intermediate areas were filled with concrete.
The stone blocks for the renovation were made manually because the material is better and cheaper. With these stones, new walls were erected or parts of the wall that were still functional were added.
After completion of the masonry work in November 2021, work began on the roof truss and then the roof was covered with zinc sheet.
During the interior work, cable pipes were laid, distributors and electrical connections were installed. Although there is currently no electricity at the school, all preparations have been made. The ceiling panels were then installed as an intermediate ceiling to reduce the outside heat.
As a result, the workers installed the window grilles and doors. The walls are currently being plastered inside and out, floor tiles are being laid and everything is being painted.
All activities will be completed by the end of April. The entire renovation will cost almost 45,000 USD. There is a small increase in cost of around 5,000 USD for the improved construction measures mentioned above, but the building is now in first class condition.
In the next report we will show what the school building looks like in operation. The children, teachers and we are really looking forward to it.
