School Building - Zimbabwe

Soccer Team

2009-08-27T01:57:00.000-07:00

We now have a social soccer team and it is doing quite good, we are trying to keep the workers together and the youths from the church so everyday after work when we are free we go to practice and then weekends we go to play against other teams and of late we have been winning against strong teams.

Africa Oggi

2009-08-27T01:54:00.001-07:00

At the beginning of this month we had three guests from Africa Oggi, Milano, Italy; Nuccio, Desiree and Sabrina, they stayed with us for three weeks and they left Zimbabwe today for Italy. The three are just a great team I must admit, they kicked off their mission with an intensive Italian language course which they were conducting twice a day with the Oratory children in the morning and with the adults in the afternoon. To date the results of the course can be seen as all the children now know the basics of the Italian language.
The three were also part and parcel of the school project as they helped also quite a lot. We planted together about fifty trees around the guest house; they cleaned and
removed all the weeds in the orchard at the school; they worked day and night with the database for the Oratory children that is from the individual children details, photos and information pertaining to all the children and then fed all the details in the computers.

Project Update

2009-08-27T01:05:00.000-07:00

Classroom Block:
The construction of the classroom block is nearing completion as we are basically left with fittings, all the major construction work has since been completed and to date the following has been accomplished:

• All the floors in the classrooms, offices, toilets and hallways are done.
• More than twenty doors have been put up out of a total of thirty four doors have been put up and by the end of the week all the doors will be in place.
• All the toilet seats and hand washing basins have been installed and are now awaiting testing as the water tanks that will supply the water are still yet to be connected.
• Final painting is also part of the work in progress as the are now painting with gloss paint from the floor up to the specified level to keep the walls clean after the school is open.
• All the glasses are now in place.
• The two main entrance doors have since been put up.
• The stair case is now completed and the flooring has been done, together with the glass bricks that give light to the stair case.
• We have since bought all the door handles and door locks for all the doors and the carpenters are busy installing them.
•

Administration Block:
The construction of the Administration block has kicked off at a rather fast pace and to date they have finished pouring the concrete, and raised all the sides to the window level.

The following material has been bought for the administration block :

• Door frames
• Window frames
• Ant poison for the prevention of termites.
• Bricks
• Cement

Since it is a ground floor building only, in these days we are running around getting quotations and negotiating good prices as the roofing material will be needed in two weeks time.

Weekly Report - July

2009-07-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

Dear all.

A very good evening to you, hope this one finds you well.

Well, winter is now getting to an end as we are getting to enjoy the warmth of the sunshine which i guess is good news for those who are coming down here and they will not have to bring heavy clothing. On the other hand, the construction of the classroom block is now nearing completion, as the following has been done :

* the painting of both floors.
* the brandering that holds the ceiling in the first floor is now complete.
* ceiling boards in the first floor is done and they are just smoothening it up.
* wall tiles in the toilets are now done.
* window panes for the classroom block have been fitted, they are left only with a few that were either broken or missing.
* the foundation for the Administration Block has since been completed, the concrete footing already been done and they are laying the bricks to the ground level.

Africa Oggi: (You are most welcome)

At the end of this month, we are going to have three guests from Africa Oggi, Milano, Italy and they will be at the mission for about three weeks, as usual we would like to welcome them to take part in the project and feel at home. We will however do our best to keep you company and be part of the family, you are welcome, benvenuti. (To Nuccio, we now have a soccer team and we go to practise everyday after work to try and promote scocialisation amongst the workers and the team is doing quite well so you can come along and enjoy hey. Today we played againsta team that is ranked as number three in the local social soccer league and we won 1-0).

Work In Progress:

* Glass bricks - on the walls where we have the star case, according to tyhe plan we have glass bricks that give light to the stairs.
* Water supply - the stand for the tanks is now ready and the plumbing work is being done, water will be pumped into two 5,000 litre containers that are placed on top of a stand that is six metres high and the water will flow down with the force of gravity then up to the classroom block.
* Planting of flowers and hedge around the classroom block.
* Painting the outside part (as seen in the photos).

In the next few days:

* Floors in the toilets, classroom blocks and passage.
* Electrical fittings, lights, switches and plug sockets. (some are already done)
* Bricks for new building.
* Paint.

Challenges:

* We have been experiencing fuel shortages but the situation seems to be improving.

June updates

2009-06-16T01:15:00.001-07:00

Dear all.

The construction of the classroom block is now at an advanced stage, with all the brick work almost complete and now working on the fittings. To date the following has been achieved :

* roof tiles are now more than 90% done, we ran short of a few and this week we will iron the issue out.
* the brandering that holds the ceiling in the first floor is now abot 70% complete.
* ceiling board in the first floor is almost halfway done.
* wall tiles in the toilets in now about 25% done.
* window panes on the ground floor have been fitted more than 80%.

Last week I went to South Africa to collect the new car that was donanted from Germany, everything went well and we will advise you as soon as the car is in Harare that is where it will be delivered. Wednesday we had a visitor from Italy, Doctor Colonna and he is still here with us, he liked the project and the progress.

What is needed in the next few days:

* Doors, door handles and locks.
* Floor tiles for toilets.
* Electrical fittings, lights, switches and plug sockets. (for these we already have a quotation from a company that is manufacturing all these and they employ 75% disabled people as they are trying to promote them. Some are deaf, some are dump and some are crippled or have some form of disability. We got a 5% discount and considering we are buying directly from the manufacturer it is a good price and also we will help promote the disabled).

Weekly Update

2009-05-21T04:11:00.000-07:00

The construction of the classroom block is going on and to date the following has been done :

* the roof trusses are almost ready as they are now making them level.
* skimming of the ground floor has since been completed
* painting of the ground floor has since commenced
* we bought all the paint for the buiding.

What is needed in the next few weeks:

* Window panes.
* Doors, door handles and locks.
* Material for ceiling.
* Floor and wall tiles.
* Electrical fittings, lights, switches and plug sockets.

April updates

2009-05-11T03:31:00.000-07:00

The contruction of the classroom block has finally reached its final height going up, and they have reached the roofing level. All the roof trusses needed were delivered to the site and more than half are already on top of the classroom block. By the end of next week, they should be ready for laying the roof tiles.

We also managed to purchase 300 bags of rhinoset out of the required 500 bags for the skimming of all the walls and they have also started to do the skiming this morning (skimming makes the wall smooth before painting).
Plumbing work for the water supply to the toilets has also been started.

Electrical cables are also being installed on the gound floor and the first floor will only be done after the roof trusses are ready.

This week we also bought all the door frames for the toilets and they are busy closing up all the partitions in the toilets and this should be complete by the end of the week.

The orchard and the vegetable garden are all doing quite well and all the plants are really healty. We have also prepared a nursery for Jacaranda trees and we are going to plant them in the next few weeks when the road is ready, if it is not ready we will also wait for the people who are coming from Italy this summer and they can do the tree planting. Those who have been here, they know how the Jacaranda trees bloom ummmmm they are so nice.

Sister Antonietta is in Italy and she is going to stay there for 2 months.

The Oratory children in the Traditional Dance dresses

2009-05-11T03:25:00.001-07:00

The Oratory children in the Traditional Dance dresses, they dance and sing quite well.

Maize from Sister Antonietta and the Oratory children.

2009-04-26T10:08:00.001-07:00

In the attached foto, some of the children from the Oratory can be seen helping to remove the maize from the maize cobs. All this maize was harvested from the garden in the new school, we have had a very good harvest and those who are coming to Zim you will get the opportunity to eat the taste of the local staple food that is a product of Sister Antonietta and the Oratory children.

Maize is grown by almost all the people in Zimbabwe except for those areas that receive little or no rain ut those areas they do grow drought resistant crops such as rapoko, sorghum and millet which serve the same purpose as maize but richer in nutrients.

April Week 3 Report

2009-04-26T09:33:00.000-07:00

The classroom block has finally reached the final height in terms of brick and concrete works. This week we managed to purchase all the concrete roof tiles and yesterday we had the first load of 4,500 and the balance of 4,500 will be coming next week. Out order for the roof trusses is still in production and the company that is manufacturing them says they should be ready and delivered next week.

On the other hand, the ground floor is almost ready for skimming and we have already bought the first consignment of the rhinoset that is used to smoothen the interior walls before painting. In a few weeks, the following material will be required on the site :

* Ceiling boards (for the first floor only).
* Glass bricks (for the walls on the stair case).
* Window panes.

We will however first compare the prices between Zimbabwe and Botswana as many items are now being accessible locally and cheaper than outside since companies are now starting again although there are still some items that are still costing way too much.
The situation was like this; when the situation was bad here, many companies were producing only for export to our neighbouring countries and their products were not available locally as they wanted foreign currency but now the situation is improving.

The quotation for the Administration block is not yet ready and we are still waiting for the contractor.

In the foto:

* the ground floor can be seen with all the window frames in place.
* the inside partitions on the first floor are complete.
* the workers are plastering all the partitions onthe first floor.
* all the windows and door frames on the first floor are in place and the corridor is done.

Administration Block

2009-04-20T05:56:00.001-07:00

The plan for the Administration Block and offices for the the school has been approved and we have attached two pdf documents with the plans. The contractor says they are almost done with the classroom block and most of the workers very soon will be having nothing to do as they will remain only with those who will be doing fittings, however they suggested that if possible we can start the project of the offices and the administration block.

The new Orchard

2009-04-20T05:50:00.000-07:00

The week has come to an end and there is great progress with the construction of the school. The partitions on the first floor are almost complete as eight classes have already been partitioned, with all the windows and door frames in the passage in their respective positions.

In the pic a worker can be seen painting the final stage in one of the bedrooms in the guest house, they are concurrently working on the classroom block as well as the guest house. The guest house is just left with the finishings especially in the bathrooms they are fitting the curtain rails, toilet paper rolls, soap trays, mirrors and other small fittings.

Next week all the roofing material should be at the site and we are right on time with the contractor as they do not want to be delayed. According to the plan and the set target, the classroom block is scheduled to be complete by the end of July but the contractor says in the venet that all the material is available without delays then they will finish even before the end of June.

At the moment, schools are closed here and all the children are on holiday, some of the oratory children are coming to the site to help Sr Antonietta and Sr Luisa with the following :

* New orchard - there is a portion on the site that has been reserves for fruit trees and to date several fruit trees have been successfully planted and these include; mango, banana, paw paw, guava and many other exotic and wild fruits. In the pic Guava tree in the orchard

Sr Antonietta preparing the orchard ready to plant other trees

This is a tree called Acacia and it is an exotic tree, to date there is a total of 29 trees that have been planted successfully and are growing quite well

One of the oratory children about to plant a wild fruit tree, this tree bears some fruits which are like chewing gums and they are so good.

* New vegetable garden - there is yet another portion within the school complex that has been reserved for vegetables and to date they have green vegetables that are a staple food for Zimbabwe (those who have been to Zimbabwe have had the taste of this green vegetable that is really delicious especially served with meat, so those who have never been here, you can come have the taste of the vegetable). The are also onions, tomatoes, cabbages and other greens.

* Flowers - several flowers and other bushes have been also planted around the school yard and the guest house and they are all colorful.

Building progress

2009-04-14T04:35:00.001-07:00

In the foto on the right, the workers can be seen busy doing the brick work on the first floor partitioning the classrooms as the other are concurrently working on the concrete.

Preparing the beam on the other side of the classroom block, ready for concrete pouring.

On the right you can see that the western side of the classroom block is already finished up to the beam level.

On the left, there is the stair case to go up to the first floor and it is already in place on one side.

Donation

2009-04-14T04:33:00.001-07:00

In the foto, there is a rubbish bin which was donated by a company from Harare, where we bought some of the reinforcement steel for the project. The company also donated 20 bags of 10kg mealie meal, which is the staple food for Zimbabw

April updates

2009-04-14T03:36:00.001-07:00

Greetings to you all, we hope you had a peaceful Easter holiday. We are very sorry for the late updates but it was due to some problems we had here as Dominic had malaria just before the easter holiday and was admitted in hospital for two days and two nights but he is now well and back at work. Our email and internet also is always down and up for just a while .

However, the project is going on quite well and we are all happy with not only the speed but above all the quality of the work is good. The Archbishop of Harare, His Grace Robert Christopher Ndlovu paid us a visit and went on a tour at the site, he was really impressed with the project and how it is being run and he said he wants to be the first one to sleep in the guest house once it is finished.

In the attached foto, the classroom block can be seen to be going up as the deck for the first floor has since been completed and they are now working on the columns up to the beam and thereafter they will need the roofing material. All the classrooms on the ground floor are covered and have since been partitioned with the brick work and plastering is about 60 percent done.

During this week we have to make orders for the following material as it is now required :

* Roof trusses (these have been paid for).
* Roof tiles and ridges (we still need to pay for these).
* Burglar bars for all the windows (we still need to pay for these).

The situation in the country seems to be improving slowly especially on the food part, a lot of food items are now available in the shops and the prices of most basic commodities have gone down though some prices are still very high. We are hoping the situation continues to improve as many shops are opening up hence there is a bit of competition and so prices tend to go down.

Maize and Green Beans

2009-03-16T15:09:00.002-07:00

In some areas within the school yard, we have a maize field that we prepared during the rain season as it is a tradition here and we are now harvesting. We had a good harvest and we are eating a lot of maize in these days. We have enough for the next two or three months.

We also have green beans and soon it will be ready for eating.

Oratory Children

2009-03-16T15:09:00.001-07:00

The oratory children can be seen in class.

Teachers

2009-03-16T15:08:00.001-07:00

Sr Antonietta can be seen with some of the three teachers.

March 2009_Updates

2009-03-16T15:06:00.000-07:00

This week has been quite a busy one, with all the workers doing two shifts as some were wroking during the day and and some during the night busy pouring the concrete and they have since finished more than half of the first floor deck.

They will now wait for fifteen days before they remove the shatter boards on the finished part but as from today they will continue to go up with the other columns that are on the side where the deck is ready.

We now have the quotation for the roof trusses ready and we should make the payment and they should be ready after a week. The next thing will be the roof tiles we are still comparing the best bet between buying them from South Africa and locally.

Due to power cuts, we managed to secure a three phase generator for back up and it so happened that on the very same day they started to pour concrete, we experienced a power cut and fortunately we had the generator from friend and we had no interuptions.

All the window frames and door frames for the main entrance to the classroom block were delivered to the site yesterday.

In summary, we are working according to the schedule and plan.

February 2009_Updates

2009-03-16T14:59:00.000-07:00

Classroom Block
The construction of the classroom block continues at a very good pace and the contractors are doing great works which will mark a great achievement for Chegutu and the whole community at large.

Two weeks ago we went to South Africa and we managed to acquire the following material :

* Plumbing material (water pipes, drainage pipes, toilet seats, urinaries, basins for washing hands)
* Electrical material
* Reinforcement steel

To date the contractors have put all the concrete footing for all the rooms on the ground floor and they are only left with the toilets as they have to finish to lay the plumbing pipes for water and sewage. Concurrently, the brick layers are busy building with bricks inbetween the columns and they have already done more than fifty percent of the walls from the ground level to the beam of the first floor. with some of the classrooms with door frames already.

We have just finalised on the schedule of all the window frames that are needed and next week we will be getting quotations and we should purchase them as soon as we get the best price.

Donations
In this past few weeks we received the following donations :

* There is an organisation in Germany which is donating a new car for the Congregation and they said they will give €23,000 torwards the purchaing of the new car, we got quotations from South Africa and we sent to them.
* We also received a donation of 1 tonne of mealie meal from the company we bought the bricks for the project.
* Due to the cholera outbreak and the lack of water in the community, UNICEF approached us and we had a meeting with them, they were asking if we could help with water supply to the people who in the neighbourhood and so we agreed to give water but we told them we do not have a pump to pump water for the designated people and so UNICEF donated a new pump and a tank that will be used as a reserve so the people can collect water for domestic use and help curb the cholera outbreak.

January 2009_Updates 2

2009-03-16T14:56:00.000-07:00

Classroom Block
The work up to the foundation level has since been completed for the whole classroom block and they are now backfilling with gravel and soil, compacting them as well. Concrete columns are also at an advanced stage, with most of them up to just above the slab level whiles others are well above the window level.

Bricks
All the common bricks are already on site that is 200,000 in total and next week we should have other 44,000 face bricks.

Other Material
We now have the material schedule for all the plumbing works, door frames and other fittings and when we go to collect the reinforcement steel from South Africa next week, we will buy all this material.

Cholera
The situation has greatly improved especially with the aid of UNICEF and other organisations and we have witnessed some patients being discharged from the cholera centres to go back to their homes which was very unusual to happen, but in these past few days we have received a lot of rainfall and since cholera is a water borne diesease, it is most likely that it spreads quickly and then it can be at it peak. We are trying by all means to take into practice all the preventitive measures.

January 2009_Updates

2009-03-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year to you all...!

The project of the classroom block is going on and they are almost done with the concrete footing and on the areas where they have already finished to do the concrete footing, the brick work has commenced up to the slab level. The contractors did not close for the festive season hence there is a lot of progress that has been going on as they only stopped working for three days during Christmas.

Next week we should be able to collect the reinforcement steel from South Africa as the company was closed for the festive season and we need to make a plan for the other material that the Engineers need for the plumbing and electrical joints, together with door frames that they said they will need in a few weeks.

The cholera situation has reduced in Chegutu but there are still some cases here and there and in this week some people went and stole from the cholera centre some buckets that were being used by the cholera patients to vomit and as toilets because the patients can hardly move as they will be seriously dehydrated. The buckets were sold in exchange for potatoes in the farms surrounding Chegutu and the people who bought them started to use them to store water for drinking and as of yesterday, many people were infected with cholera and eight people died.

December 2008_Updates

2009-03-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

The construction of the school is progressing at a fairly good pace though we have had some challenges to acquire some material especially the concrete stones as many companies have since closed for the festive season and due to electricity problems, however with the little that we got the concrete footing is almost done and the brick work has already been started where the columns are in place.

In the foto, there is the column base and each column base takes an average of 8 bags of cement.

Here, there are some of the Engineers who are working on the project.

We would like to thank you for the support and take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Joyful 2009.

New Classroom Block. November 2009_Updates

2009-03-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

The initial setup of the new classroom block started on Thursday when the contractor moved in the school premises.

In the attached foto, the workers can be seen marking the places that mark the columns and the foundation of the classroom block.

We have already received the list of material that they require for the initiation of the project and on Tuesday we will be going to Botswana to purchase the requested material.

In the foto, the workers can be seen digging the columns and the foundation for the classroom block and they said that by mid next week they will finish and will immediatly commence pouring the concrete footing and the columns.

We are therefore racing in this week against time to supply all the required material and the challenge we have is the reinforcement steel that we have to import from Southe Africa. However the contractor has promised that they can supply us with anything that we need and we sign an agreement and then give back when we have our supply since they are a big company they usually keep material.

In the foto, the workers can be seen offloading the river sand at the school and in these days they do an average of between 7 to 9 loads per day and each load in about 4,5 tonnes. To date we now have a total of more than 150 tonnes hence we are not far away from the initial required target of 200 tonnes for the bases and the foundation.

October 2008_Updates

2009-03-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

Guest House
The fittings of the guest house have since been put up and they are now left with the floor and wall tiles only then finally painting.

Electricity
we are now online and the whole guest house has electricity and lighting.

Water Project
We managed to connect one of the pumps in one of the boreholes and this has got a yield of about 8,000 litres per hour and still running wet.
In the photo, it is the small pump house where we have connected the first pump.

Classroom Blocks
We are still waiting to finalise on the contractor but in the meantime we are aqcuiring the concrete stones and the river sand.

Challenges
We had a problem with our lorry as it has been down for more than a week, the rear springs were broken and we have since sent them for repairs, we will get them back on Tuesday and the lorry should be back on the road by the end of the week.

Blooming Jacaranda

2009-03-16T14:35:00.001-07:00

In this period, the Jacaranda trees start to bloom

August 2008_Updates

2009-03-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

Guest House
Plastering of all the rooms has since been completed and the plumbing work has now commenced. To date all the toilet seats have now been fitted in all the bathrooms and all the drainage pipes outside have since been put in place.

We made a trip to Botswana and purchased all the ceiling boards and the ceiling fittings.

Electricity
We have purchased all the material now for the distribution of the electricity inside the school premises and the holes have already been dug, we just need to go and collect the poles.

Classrooms
We had a meeting with the Engineer and he even came to see the land and he said the land is now ready for construction so the builders will soon start to mark the places where they will dig the foundation and the columns of the school block.

The Engineer is now working on the Structural Design of the proposed school building and we have already signed an agreement and a contract that by Friday the 29th he should be done. We will then order the steel from South Africa as soon as we get the actual sizes and quantities from the Engineer.

In the mean time we are busy gathering the river sand and the three-quarter stones to be used for the concrete footing, with our truck we need a total of 200 loads of each.

Thank you

Oratory Children in Church...!

2009-03-16T14:27:00.001-07:00

The Oratory children in church for their last school day before they closed for their holiday on Wednesday.

Africa Oggi organisation

2009-03-16T14:19:00.000-07:00

www.africaoggi.it

The visitors from Africa Oggi at the river where we collect river sand.

The boys can be seen watering the new lawn that the visitors from Africa Oggi planted and the other plants can be seen to be doing very well.

The Oratory Children can be seen playing volley ball, under the supervision of the Africa Oggi and one of them being a volley ball coach it was an added advantsge to the children as they had a nice afternoon together sharing their experiences.

Africa Oggi at the Lion's park.

Oratory Children..!

2009-03-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

In the foto, some of the Oratory children can be seen doing what they know best, the traditional dance whiles.

They have won several competitions with other schools.

Even the Oratory teachers can dance, as can be seen in the attached foto, Mr Mukono dancing along with the children.

They can act very well also, in the attached foto the girl can be seen in a short play about the Girl Child.

July 2008_Updates

2009-03-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

Guest House
All the roofing for the guest house has since been completed and they have started plastering the walls in all the rooms. To date, a total of about nine rooms including the bathrooms have have been plastered already.

Electricity
The transformer was mounted and we are now connected, we have electricity now at the site and the only thing that is left is the internal distribution from the sub-station to the various places as we have on the site plan. On Monday we will buy the material required for the distribution.

Classrooms
As the construction of the guest house is nearing completion, we are busy preparing for the construction of the classromm blocks. We now have the list of materials required to build one block and since Monday we have been busy to put in place mostly river sand and the three-quarter stones that are used to make the concrete for the columns. For the whole block, a total of 800m3of river sand and 800m3 of stones are required.

Water Project
We have purchased all the material requred to fit one bolehole and we are just waiting for the distribution of the internal electricity lines and connect the first borehole.

Text Books Donation
We received a very good donation of more than 100 text books for our school children from the Archbishop's office, a BIG THANK YOU...! This donation will see our children through and curb their difficulties of sharing text books.

Visitors From Italy
Saturday nexy week, 02 August will mark a day when we are going to receive three visitors from Italy from the Africa Oggi organisation. The purpose of the visit is to familiarise with us and to get involved with 'hands-on' the school project. We shall keep you updated on their arrival and stay.

This is one of the trees that was planted on the Ground Breaking Ceremony

June 2008_Updates

2009-03-10T15:02:00.000-07:00

Guest House.

The construction of the guest house is going on and the progress is quite good as we are very happy with it. Yesterday the builders started preparing the roof trusses and all the timber required for the roof is now on the site. In this week, they have also built the veranda for the front and the one for the back of the house and all the inside partitions have been completed up to the ceiling level.

Next week Thursday we are planning to go to Botswana to buy the gysers, showers for the guest house and buy some groceries for the house and shopping.

School Registration.

We have began the registration process of the school and we have since completed all the required forms, on Monday we had a meeting with the Director of Education in Harare and he welcomed our project and he appreciated so much. We asked for help from his Ministry and he asked us to put everything in writting and so we have done this, next week we go to submit our requests, the project plans and the completed forms. However he said he will approve the project as there is a serious shortage of schools in the country.

Electricity

We have been to the electricity company and they gave us a quotation for the labour, connection fees and the materials they have to supply. We made the payment and now we will wait for them to start the installation of the new line to our site, which is 1km from the line where they will take the electricity from.

Monday marked the celebration of the Italian day, we went to the Italian Embassy and we had a nice time there with many Italians attending the ceremony and other diplomats from different countries.

Sorry we did not manage to take any fotos as we were busy running around all week as we had a lot of meetings and buying material. We will send you the fotos on Sunday afternoon.

The soccer team

2009-03-10T15:00:00.000-07:00

In the foto, there are the boys who work with our truck wearing their new protective clothing (work suits and gum boots).

We have also formed a soccer team, with the builders and the workers and so we play every weekend, Saturdays after work and Sundays after Mass, to try and keep the young boys occupied and to get to socialise and know each other well. Next week we send you the fotos in the play grounds.

May 2008_Updates

2009-03-10T14:55:00.000-07:00

Construction Of The Wall.

The greatest news we have is that the construction of the wall has been fully completed today, thus all the 1,2km is now complete. This is a great achievement as the wall is really big and long, things are starting to take shape now.

Guest House.

The construction of the guest house continues, with two sides now complete up to the window level and now the progress will be faster as all the workers are for the mean time going to focus on the guest house only since the wall is now finished.

All the material for the guest house is now in place and next week we are planning to go to Botswana for shopping and to buy just a few fittings left like the door handles, showers, shower handles, electrical cables, lamp holders and electrical sockets and switches.

Land Levelling.

The levelling of the land is at a halt as the bulldozer is still under repairs and also there is still a big dam of water locked from the last rain season in the place where the classroom blocks are marked to be constructed, however we are using this water for the preparation of the mortar for the builders and to water our trees and flowers that we planted.

Material For the School - Classroom Blocks, Administration Offices, etc.

The classroom blocks have two floors as so we need to start buy the deformed steel bars for the reinforcement in the construction of the concrete pillars which are the initial stage. Next week we have a meeting to discuss the way forward with one of the companies that produce them.

Cement.

We had two deliveries totalling to 1,200 bags of cement and our stock levels are quite well as we still have more than 800 bags in store and we have a pending delivery of 620 bags.

Gates.

We are now looking for donors to contribute torwards the purchasing of two sliding gates, one is four metres long and the other is six metres long.

New Developments.

Education is one of the main ministries of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows and the primary missions of our Foundress, Blessed Elisabetta Renzi. With this is mind, we have decided to help our employees who do not have enough Ordinary level subjects by proposing to have a Night School which will be run as follows;

* We shall make use of the same premises for the Oratory children.
* Lessons shall start from 17:30 to 19:30 from Monday to Friday then from 13:00 to 15:00 on Saturdays.
* The Oratory teachers will teach all the subjects as overtime and their renumeration will come from the fees paid by the students.
* The charges shall be very minimal so that everyone can afford to study.

Tree Planting

2009-03-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

The first tree was planted by the Archibishop and Sr Antonietta, they planted a palm tree.

The second tree was planted by The Director of Housing and Community Services Mrs Melania Mandeya and Father Mukonori.

The third tree was planted by the Italian Ambassador, he planted a Jacaranda tree.

The fourth tree was planted by the Member of Parliament and Father Gwenya.

Groundbreaking ceremony_12th April 2008

2009-03-10T14:35:00.001-07:00

This was the choir which was composed of youths from the Parish

Stage

Parish People

The Director Of Housing and Community Services - Mrs Melania Mandeya

From Left to Right :

* The Nuncio
* The Italian Ambassador and his wife
* Mr Beattie

Sr Luisa Speech

In this foto, the Archbishop was giving his speech

Mr Beattie is a very good friend of ours, he has been of great help in our project as he has provided water, machinery, river sand just to mention a few.

Mother Lina and Mother AnnaMaria met him and his wife when they came to Zimbabwe as we had dinner together.

April 2008_Updates

2009-03-10T14:33:00.001-07:00

Dear All.

The project is going on very well and the speed has increased also as the rains have stopped now and so we can work all day long.

In the attached foto, as usual the continuos red line depicts the area that has been fully completed and the broken red line symbolises the area that has the pillars and left with filling up the gaps inbetween the pillars which reinforce the wall.

We are still trying to meet our target to finish the construction of the wall by the 12th of April when we have the Ground Breaking Ceremony, a lot of people will be present to witness this event and to date the following have confirmed that they will be present : The Archbishop, the Nuncio, the Italian Ambassador together with his wife, people from the Parish and many other guests. However we will send you as many fotos as possible for this big day to come. The day will start by having Mass at the stand and so in this coming week we will be occupied making the final touches of the arrangements.

We received a delivery of 600 bags of cement and we are going to receive some more 1200 bags, hence in terms of material supplies we are well ahead of the builders.

The Wall_March 2008 Update

2009-03-10T14:29:00.000-07:00

Dear All.

The construction of the durawall is now at an advanced stage with only about 220m left and this means they have covered almost 1km in length as the total length of the durawall is 1,2km.

In the attached map, the area in red depicts the area that has been completed and the one in blue depicts the remaining area.

The builders have a target to finish by easter, that is if the rains allow them to work. Today we had a heavy down pour in the afternoon but they had worked all morning and then a bit after the rains had stopped.

Guest House Foundation

2009-03-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

The foundation of the guest house is now complete and the Engineers have approved and tomorrow they will begin the construction of the slab.

All the building material of the guest house is now place and this includes :
* Bricks (all have been bought but we still have to collect some)
* Cement
* Sand
* Stones
* Window frames and glasses (now they are fitting the buglar bars for security on all windows)
* Door frames
* Roofing timber
* All the bathroom suites

We still have to buy the roofing tiles and doors.

Groundbreaking Ceremony Invitation!

2009-03-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

SPECIAL INVITATION

The Congregation of The Sisters Of Our Lady Of Sorrows would like to invite you to attend the official Groundbreaking ceremony which will launch the mission’s new building effort....!

RE : GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY

Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows Primary School Building

DATE : SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2008

TIME : 09:00 A.M

PLACE: SCHOOL STAND (Directions on the attached documents)

RSVP : sisita@zol.co.zw 00 263 91 2 272 470, 00 263 91 2 399 359

January 2008

2009-03-10T14:10:00.000-07:00

A warm welcome into a new year to you all, thank God we all made it.

Just to give you an update of the project progress:

Festive Season:
We had a very good festive season and all the workers were happy as they got some rest and spent some time with their families.

Cement:
We had 600 bags of cement delivered and the remaining 600 we shall advise them when we need it delivered.

Ground Breaking Ceremony:
We are planning to have a Ground Breaking Ceremony on the 12th of April 2008, where the land will be blessed by the Archibishop of Harare. Amongst the invited guests will be The Italian Ambassodor, The Mayor of Chegutu, the Member of Parliament, other local people who are helping in the realisation of the project, the oratory children, their parents and local business representatives. The ceremony will start with Mass, some speeches and tree planting. The end of the ceremony will be marked by a lunch at a local hotel, the owner of this hotel which is the biggest in Chegutu offered the hospitality for free, a big thank you.

Challenges:
The greatest challenge we have had in these days is the rain, we have had so much rainfall such that many areas are flooded.

The Jacaranda Tree

2007-03-21T06:17:00.001-07:00

Have you ever heard about the Jacaranda tree? It’s a tree with purplish flowers and it’s the pride of Harare. The blooming is in spring, a season that starts more or less in September. I can tell you that it is really beautiful.
In August, when we were in Zimbabwe, I could admire only one of these trees and it wasn’t yet completely bloomed and I was really fascinated by it. Thanks to Dominic, a friend of mine who lives there, I can show you these beautiful pictures.

Zimbabwe – Some Geography

2007-03-21T06:05:00.000-07:00

The name Zimbabwe comes from dzimba dzemabwe, that in Shona means houses of stone, is located in the Southern Africa (in the map is the only Bordeaux country and has the shortcut ZW). It doesn’t have a sea and is situated between the river Zambesi and the Limpopo rivers. It confines on the south side with South Africa, on the west with Botswana, on the north with Zambia and on the east with Mozambique. The capital is Harare, once known as Salisbury. The second main city is Bulawayo. The lake Kariba and the Victoria Falls, which people frequently call Vic Falls, are some of the greatest natural attractions of Zimbabwe.

Besides the teaching

2007-03-21T05:59:00.000-07:00

Besides teaching and helping the local parish the two Italian sisters, Sr Antonietta and Sr Luisa, help the poor people living in Chegutu. Their intercom bell at their gate continuosly rings as there are people coming to ask for food, for money, for things they need for the school. Tracy, for example, is a 16 year-old girl in an advanced stage of AIDS that often goes to the mission to ask for food and for the money she needs to buy medicines. Sr Luisa goes every Sunday to the villages near Chegutu to offer assistance and prayer to the inhabitants that live in a situation of extreme poverty and need.

The gift of the Land

2007-03-21T05:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our arrival, to the 10.000€ we brought and thanks to the fact we were been introduced as a delegation coming from Italy to see the site on which the future school will be built, the town council of Chegutu gave the land to the sisters as a donation rather than to ask them to pay it as they did at the beginning. They indeed realised the importance of our arrival seeing in us a hope for their town.

Chegutu

2007-03-12T05:28:00.000-07:00

Chegutu is a town located approximately 107 km south of Harare. "Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows", 67, Abecorn Street, was our house for the whole month of August. When we arrived people were curious about us. In 2000, in fact, white people have been sent away from the country so that now most of the population is black. We were the only white people together with the two sisters and very few inhabitants. Actually we also met a black albino but don't think we can considerate him a white person ;)
With the passing of time people got accustomed to our presence. To such a point that a couple of times, while I was walking around the city with Cynthia, a Zimbabwean girl who wants to become a sister, people asked her about myself. I also got two marriage proposals.

Harare - Chegutu the 9th of August 2006

2007-03-12T05:20:00.000-07:00

The African adventure begun the 9th of August, early in the morning. We arrived at 6 and the sisters were already at the airport, with a very good friend of them, waiting for us. On the way from Harare to Chegutu the impact was really strong. Completely different landscapes, widening horizons, warm colours, people everywhere on the roads ......we were in another world. The first impression was of peace and serenity.