Details of the community classroom project

A future student of the proposed classroom

A big THANK YOU to those of you who have brought the donations for the Community Classroom Project up over $5,000! We are getting close now: only a little over $2,000 left to go, and then the village will get a new classroom to house those 72 kids currently attending school outdoors. If you haven't yet donated, please consider it: 100% of your tax deductible contribution goes directly to the classroom project. All donations are very much appreciated!

The total cost of the project will actually be $11,478.12, but the community has agreed to contribute 33% of this cost, which will include the land on which the classroom will be built, all sand, gravel, and water for cement mixing, transportation of all raw materials to the work site, food and lodging for all skilled construction workers, organizational labor by the Classroom Association, desks to furnish the new classroom, and a full-time teacher (on government contract). This community contribution amounts to $3,805.21, leaving another $7,672.91 to be raised thanks to the donations of folks like you.

Some of you haven't seen the budgetary details associated with this project, so I thought you might find it interesting to see what the actual costs will be to undertake the building. We got two different bids from contractors, and we also considered trying to do the project without a contractor; we ended up settling on a contractor who has worked with Peace Corps in this region successfully and reliably for years. Here is how it breaks down:


Excavation:
Channel and embankment of compacted dirt
$196.46

Foundation:
Reinforced concrete for interior, columns & crossbeams
Masonry of full mixture
$1,172.08

Lower floor:
Reinforced concrete
Concrete for staircase
$510.42

Masonry of walls:
Masonry of hollow walls
Reinforced concrete for window bays, crossbeams,
columns, high crossbeams, channels
$1,790.63

Coating & Surfacing:
Interior coating
Exterior coating
Chape Bouchardee
Coating of cement for blackboard
$932.86

Ceiling ('scuze my lack of ability in translating the French):
Panne IPN 100
Tube carre 50
Fentre bitumineaux
Bac alu zinc
Plafonnage en contre plaque
Buses de ventilation des combles
$2,353.80

Metal work:
Metal door & fixtures
Metal windows & fixtures
$275.00

Paint:
Interior walls
Ceiling
$441.67

Total: $7,672.91