ONAMEYA JUNIOR PRIMARY SCHOOL

Location: Oshikoto, Namibia
Date: April 1, 2007 - June 3, 2007
Cost of Materials Funded by imagine1day: US$16,000
Partner: Raleigh International (UK)

the project:

A two-class room and single storeroom school building was constructed in Onameya, located in the Oshikoto region of northern Namibia. The building houses 60 students, grades 1-3 and two teachers. The imagine1day project was completed in partnership with Raleigh International and under the guidance of the Namibia Ministry of Education and the Namibia Ministry of Works.

implementation

Eleven participants, age 17-25 and two Raleigh International staff members, travelled to the village of Onameya to begin construction. The local community of the village of Onameya were friendly and enthusiastic, welcoming the team and supporting them as they settled in.

The team of volunteers, together with members of the local community, began by digging a metre deep trench around the perimeter of the designated site. They then unloaded many bricks from the truck in preparation for the walls to go up. Once the aggregate for the cement was delivered, the laying of the foundations started. The volunteers quickly adapted to having an avid audience of learners and community members whilst building.

During the construction the team became involved in teaching within the school and enjoyed plenty of extra curricular football matches with the students. By the end of the third week the walls were being put up and the project was on schedule, despite an initial delay with delivery of materials, caused by the Easter holiday weekend.

A new team of Raleigh International staff and volunteers arrived for the final stage of the project with the tasks of building and decorating the school in time for the opening ceremony on June 1st.

The first week demanded an intensive workload in order to get the plastering completed. The volunteers then set to work on transforming the school from a basic and functional structure into a vibrant and colourful primary school.

They decorated the walls with a variety of educational learning aids, including a giraffe height chart, times tables, clocks for telling the time, and a chalkboard alphabet so the children can practice their writing interactively. Murals of Namibian wildlife and the Namibian Coat of Arms were painted on the outside of the school.

After several productive nights working by the light of head-torches, the school was ready in time for the big opening ceremony. It was a magical day filled with dancing, singing, speeches and a fantastic feast prepared by the local community.

project background:

The former education provision was poor with no permanent classrooms. The temporary shelters were made of branches and reclaimed roofing iron. Sand and dirt made up the flooring of the shelters and there was no seating available for the children attending classes. Although the community was provided with a government-funded teacher, the financial resources were not available to provide a school building.

To address this issue, local community initiatives constructed temporary structures from local materials (sticks and tin sheets) while other classes were held under trees. These conditions; however, offered little or no protection from the environment, especially during the wet season when they became flooded and unusable. Domestic animals and wildlife often interfered or prevented classes from taking place. Additionally the inadequate space, teaching resources and lack of seats and desks did not provide an environment conducive to learning.

experienced partner:

Raleigh International has worked closely with the Ministry of Education in Namibia for the last nine years to identify regions in specific need and to construct schools in often logistically difficult environments. Since 1997, Raleigh International has successfully constructed over 23 schools in five regions of Namibia.

Registered in the UK, the charity has been successfully running programs at home and overseas for over 21 years. Over 180 expeditions have been completed, in more than 36 countries, involving over 26,000 people, from more than 80 nations.