Builders from the community have volunteered their time to help

“Building work has been slow because it is the rainy season,” Headmaster George explains. “The builders all come from the community, and are working for free, but during this season they have to stay at home and plant their crops.”

It’s the first day of term here at Simakakata, and although many of the children are not expected until tomorrow, the builders have begun putting up walls for the fourth classroom.

Most of the materials have already been delivered. George is worried, however, that if the cement is stored for too long it will harden and become useless.

“We had hoped to have it finished by the end of the Christmas holiday,” he told me, “But now I am certain it will be done by the end of this term.”

The new classroom will be an important milestone for the school. Last year, the first block of three classrooms and an office for George were finished, and the transformation has been incredible. The pass rates for children graduating Grade 7 have doubled over the 2009 level already, thanks to clean, well lit teaching spaces that have glass in the windows and don’t leak in the rain.

Children pose for a shot outside the new front door. A disabled ramp to the right has been built in case wheelchair access is needed in future.

“I like the new school,” says James, from grade 3, “The old ones were dirty, and it’s easier to concentrate here.”

The first classroom is shared by Grades 1 and 3, while Grades 2 and 4 are taught in the second. The final room in the new block is reserved for Grade 7, who are studying for exams.

Grades 5 and 6, however, are still being taught in the dank old farmhouse the school has occupied since its inception. The building materials are also being stored there.

“We still need two more classrooms here,” says George, “So that we can teach through to Grade 8 and the children don’t have to transfer to Kalomo to finish their basic education.”

There is good news, though. With a staff of six fully trained and government employed teachers, it’s looking likely that the local education authority will officially adopt the school some time this year.

“Even then government funding is always inadequate,” says George, “We will rely on donors like LearnAsOne and what funds the community can raise to pay for new buildings.”

There were no classes today, instead the children helped to tidy up and cut the grass after the Christmas break.

George is ambitious and optimistic, though. He believes that in a few years he may be able to afford to connect the school to the national grid, as the nearest powerlines are only 400 metres away. Then he believes there will even be an opportunity to open a computer lab.

Right now, though, the pressing need is for classrooms and teachers houses. When it rains here, even the teachers struggle to make the 7km commute by bicycle or foot from Kalomo.

At the time of writing £3,792 is needed to buy the raw materials for the fifth classroom. You can help the community by making a donation or setting up a fundraising page. And, as ever, we’ll continue to show you your money in action.