When we first visited elementary school in a small village in the mainland of Tanzania we wanted to know how they are doing, how children are learning here and if they need anything. We learned, and saw with our own eyes, that the roof above one of the classrooms (small school buildings) is in an emergency state. Holes in the plates seemed to be a smaller problem compared to the wooden contruction of the roof being heavily rotten. A threat that this roof would collapse and injure pupils and teacher in the classroom was real.
The team of Engarre decided that repairing roof of this african school is urgent, so we launched the repair process at the beginning of 2022. We found resources, hired local craftsmen, bought necessary material from a construction shop in a nearby town and paid the delivery. We also hired a person to watch over materials during the works so that nothing got lost or stolen. You can watch the whole process in a set of 4 videos covering the repair:
The whole process of roof repair took only a few days. Kids could return and learn in their classroom which was now safe again. Many of the original roof plates were still usable, at least in better condition compared to the plates used on a small building of school toilets, so they replaced the damaged ones. Engarre's favourite principle of "recycle - reduce - reuse" was applied, something that is completely natural for African people, even without promotion. Furthermore Engarre was able to support two projects at a time by providing income for local men.
Even though we successfully repaired roof on one of the classrooms, we would like to support renewal of the old roofs above further school buildings. The best way is to renew the roof system together with gutters and water tanks so that drinkable water can be collected for children year round. Check out our progress in this matter in another project - Collecting water for children.
