An Appeal for Funds
It was the nightmare we all feared.
The heavy October rain weakened the mud-brick walls of Institut Gufwa-Gubila, one of the two secondary schools serving the children of the Greater Kandale area. The walls gave way, causing the roofs of two classrooms blocks to collapse, rendering the buildings unsafe and unusable.
Fortunately, the collapse occurred during the evening, and no one was injured.
But the events of Oct. 4 underscore the need for safer, more modern, and well-constructed classrooms in Kandale.
Our campaign to build seven new classrooms by the start of the 2020-2021 school year has become all the more urgent with the latest disaster. Our aim is to raise $75,000 for this phase of school construction and related programs.
REVE Kandale founder Colette Ramm was on a visit to Kandale when the disaster struck. “The residents of Kandale are resilient, but we need your help now more than ever,” she said.
You can donate by going directly to our website at https://www.revekandale.org/donate, or visit our GoFundMe site at https://www.gofundme.com/f/building-schools-building-dreams.
Institut Gufwa-Gubila dates to the 1970s and had been built through the perseverance of Kandale residents, who were determined to have a secondary school (watch this video). But without any assistance to speak of, the only affordable building materials were mud bricks, which weaken over time. In retrospect, it is a wonder the buildings lasted as long as they did. Below students are busily collecting materials for a temporary classroom. They are gathering clay and sand from the nearby hills and sticks from the surrounding thickets. photos by Colette Ramm 10/08/2019
With your assistance we have a new brick-making machine in place and have about one-third of the cement we will need to complete seven new classrooms with stronger, reinforced concrete. We still need to find funding for the remainder of the cement, roofing sheets, and other building materials.
As it stands, the students of Institut Gufwa-Gubila have moved into a six-classroom block built in 2011 by REVE Kandale that had housed part of the primary school. The displaced primary school students have relocated to the other primary school block as a temporary solution. Desks in that school block that had been shared by two students are now used by three or four. Due to the lack of space one of the classes has to meet outside. It’s clear the students want to learn. Let us please give them a chance.
We hope we have earned your trust -- as we have with one of our longtime donors who explains in this video Why We Give why his church gives to REVE Kandale – and that you work with us to expand the village circle and raise the children of Kandale. Our work together will continue to bring hope to Kandale and meet urgent educational needs.
Help us build schools. Help us build dreams.
