Save our School, Retaining Wall Needed Urgently

We need urgent help.  This 57 second video tells the story of where we are at with the launching of our new High School in Uganda, East Africa.  

Our urgency for completing the first phase of this project (building a retaining wall) is based on the fact that rainy season is expected in early to mid March!  This is frightening, as once it starts, it lasts about three month..meaning that we cannot construct a concrete wall during that season.  The run off from the rain will likely create significant erosion and the possibility of a landslide is elevated.  This is not something we can wait on.  The cost for the wall is $10,000, and will be constructed with the guidance of an engineer familiar with this type of situation.  We will be using large boulders, drainage pipes, and concrete to secure this area and prevent erosion.  There is now only 2 feet of land between the school and the edge of the small cliff.  Yes, this means the school could collapse if land erodes, and if (God forbid and let it NEVER be so) kids are inside, they could die.

We will then need an additional $10,000 after rainy season to install gutters, a water catchment system, small kitchen building and permanent pit latrines.

As many of you know, this is the first of 4 classrooms being built for the high school in Bukibokolo.  Our Students ranked higher in testing than ANY OTHER SCHOOL (we had 27 students exiting middle school..13 scored in division one and 14 in division 2! The last time ONE pupil in this area made division one was in 1984.) These kids are amazing, our school is incredible, and these kids deserve to move onto high school.  

Some have asked why we did not realize this need during the building process.  We ask the same.  The building process was very fast, and at one point the contracted company did know that we would need a wall, but we were only informed when our team reached the ground in late January.  We had to wait for an engineer to assess the situation, come up with a solution, and give us a detailed budget.  It's not easy working in Uganda, but it is so worth it!  These kids are worth it, and God has not forgotten them. 

Jenn Anderson
Executive Director of Ministry
Hands of Action International