The Sia Shimbwe Primary School and Shimbwe Chini Primary School are based in the picturesque village of Shimbwe, at the foot of Kilimanjaro. However, the beautiful natural landscape cannot take away from the abject poverty and distinct sense of hopelessness which emanates from the very fabric of the village's buildings. In an attempt to improve the future prospects of the local children, the Child & Family Foundation took on the two schools - a task which couldn't be written off during just one visit, but would instead require years' worth of hard graft and the foundation to join forces with local craftsmen and suppliers to make their dream a reality. However, the unforgiving ravages of time brought extreme rainfall and this left its mark on the buildings and furniture.
Good planning is half the battle
The Child & Family Foundation supports two villages in Shimbwe Village, Tanzania. Comprehensive planning stages preceded the urgently called-for renovations.
They came, they saw, they...
In February 2019, the Child & Family Foundation's employees travelled to Shimbwe Village to get an idea of the situation on site. With the help of the aid organisation, C-re-aid, who specialise in affordable housing construction in Tanzania, the school buildings were inspected. In doing so, it became evident that extensive renovations were required: the classrooms were in a deplorable state and the loos, kitchens, dining room and windows had certainly seen better days. The water and electricity supply were on the point of disappearing altogether and the furniture was, for the most part, broken or unusable. The Child & Family Foundation not only needed to act fast - they had to get to work immediately.
… so the planning began
The Child & Family Foundation and C-re-aid's staff hit their desks straight away, working feverishly to develop plans and blueprints for renovation, coming up with sustainable solutions and investigating available materials. Following many heated discussions, change of plan, new suggestions and administrative adaptations, the urgently-called-for budget, blueprints and timetable for the renovations were approved by the Child & Family Foundation. The work could begin.
