Three weeks to go and we are starting to feel the crunch!  There are still many walls to be plastered, final floors to be poured, and walls to be tiled but with a little overtime and a lot of energy we may just get this project done on time.   

This week we welcomed a new puppy to the project.  Though there are countless dogs in and around the slums, Oreo somehow stood out amongst the masses, and brave volunteer Alina decided she would take him back to Vancouver.  Though she has to spend the next month going back and forth to the veterinarian for various shots and inoculations, Alina seems to have figured out a possible way to get him through customs.  

This week mostly consisted of preparing for the laborious task of pouring the concrete roof in block 2. Not only does all the scaffolding have to be in place but an intricate mesh of do-it-yourself steel columns and rebar must be woven on top of the roof before the pouring can begin.

This week saw the completion of the floors as well as the patio/courtyard area in the middle of the centre. The floors were poured quite rapidly, which kept volunteers busy shoveling sand for the mixer and making concrete by hand on the days where there was no mixer. 

This week proved to be an exhausting week for volunteers as we began pouring the floors for Block 2. However tiring, opting to hire local labour instead of renting a cement mixer proved to be a rather rewarding experience and provided a great opportunity for the volunteers to work side by side with the labourers.

Sorry for taking so long to write the update on my progress and success in university. Okay, here goes my story… we had sports event during the weekend. Students from various campuses of Moi University had come for athletes’ sports event over the weekend. We had students from Main Campus, Town Annex Campus, West Campus, Town Campus, Kericho Town Campus and of course, my beloved Kabianga Campus. It was really nice to meet my former school mates, with whom I spent one month of my life. They remain dear to me.

This week was a success in both construction and volunteer work on the site. An entire exterior wall at the base of the centre was plastered with the expertise of Brian and Damian from Ireland and the help of all of our other volunteers. This wall will be painted once the plaster dries.

It’s amazing how different the site looks after just one week!  We were finally able to pour the floors of Building 1 on Saturday and the bricklayers have been building upwards ever since.  Though we won’t be able to pour the floors for Building 2 and Building 3 until next week, it’s a giant morale-booster to see the frames for the windows and doors starting to emerge with each positioned brick.