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. 

After careful consideration, we have finalized our plans for the roof and hope to get it started by the beginning of next week.  All week we were torn between the ubiquitous Peruvian cement roof and the less popular timber roof.  Should we opt for a concrete roof, an immense amount of scaffolding must be erected in order to support it.  Amidst all the scaffolding it is near impossible to plaster, tile, or paint the room until the roof has dried and the scaffolding can be removed.  Due to the extremely short time we have to complete the project, we cannot afford to waste time waiting for the concrete roof to dry.  On the other hand, the wood roof can be erected in two weeks but it’s labour requires the expertise of someone outside the community thus leaving a couple of our long time ‘maestros’ without work.  We ultimately reached a compromise whereby one building would contain a cement roof and the other two a timber roof in an effort to accommodate everyone and save us the much needed time and money.

Volunteers Marie-Josée and Louisette have decided on a new project for the courtyard area. With the leftover bricks, rocks, and concrete we will build flower bed retaining walls with benches on each side.  Not only will it provide students with a nice outdoor area to play in, it can also be used to teach them about gardening and horticulture.