Construction of a Library for a Primary School
Project location: SENEGAL, Oukout
Project start date: April 2009 -
Project end date: January 2010
Project number: 2008-47
Beneficiary: Association Oukout Africa
Emile Sagna, one of the teacher with his pupils
The project of construction of a library is taking place in the region of Casamance, South of Senegal in the village of Oukout near Ziguinchor. Its objective is to improve the reading access for the pupils of the rural primary school composed of approximately 300 children and 3 teachers.
The activities of the project during the period under review were concentrated mainly with the installation of the team of the project and collaboration with the various speakers, the installation of logistics of the project (logistic shutter), and on the rehabilitation of the infrastructures identified in collaboration with the teachers and the local authorities. After evaluation with the teachers and bricklayers, we decided to build a new structure so that the library can remain for many years with very good building materials.
The association Oukout asked for the estimation of the building work and received the foreseen costs estimated by the local artisans. We agreed on that proposition knowing that it will not exceed the allocated funds for the construction of the building and will not prevent from doing all the activities of the project.
Phones calls and skype meetings were frequent during the first two months of the projects ( April and May 2009 Then, we transfer part of the funds to the building chief .
Achieved activities in Senegal
Book donations ready to be shipped
and transfered to the school.
The artisans are from Ziguinshor (one hour from Oukout).
The building will be finished at the beginning of November and books will be transfer in December by maritime way.
There is a good communication between the artisans and the teachers so that the works canbe done quickly and not disturbing the daily life of the school and the children.
N° DESIGNATION
STATE; ADVANCE
1 CARCASS WORK 100%
2 METAL FRAME 30%
3 COVER 50%
4 SEALING 30%
5 CABINET WORK 100%
6 HARD COATINGS 100%
7 PAINTING 10%
Achieved activities in France
Since August 2009, the Web site www.ongoukoutafricac.org is updated. The majority of the headings have updated contents and the heading of the news is daily fed thanks to the services of a volunteer which was recruited for this purpose. In the same way, the important documents like local press releases in France and Senegal about the villadge and the association and the memoranda produced by Oukout Africa are regularly posted.
- Local press:
We also made an article about the project and mentioned that your foundation collaborated for the realisation and achievement of the library project . ( see in annexe the article)
For us, it is important to mention that your foundation is the main funder of this project and we specially thanked in the article.
Campaign donations of books began in August and ended in September
Thanks to an advert published in the local newspapers and on the webiste, many individuals, schools, colleges, local libraries in our region in France called us to give their books donations. This campaign donation was really a success.
We dispose now of about 3500 kilos of books for the library of the school of Oukout. We stopped receiving books two week ago in ooder to organize the shipping activity.
This activity took us about two months to go and pick up the books in the different houses and places, gathering them and putting them in cardboards, enveloping them and doing the calculations for the shipping.
Evaluation of the volume and weight of the books for the shipping transfer
We are now organizing the transfer of the books to Senegal through the shipping way
We are contacting the shipping companies for comparing shipping costs and asking information about the transfer.
This activity is foreseen for the month of December.
To do the shipping, we have to be very precise on the weight and volume of all the donations.
Finally, we found the company that will be in charge of the shipping from the harbour of LE HAVRE North of Franceuntil DAKAR in Senegal. Then, a confiable person will be at the customs in Dakar and will pick up the books. This person will rent a truck and will travel from Dakar until the Casamance. (about 9 hours by road).
Planning of an evaluation trip of a volunteer of Oukout in Octuber (when the construction of the library is finished)
A volunteer of our association will go in December or January to recuperate all the bills that the teachers kept since the beginning of the building works and mostly to evaluate the finished works. Also this volunteer will organize the library and will think about the system of borrowing books with the teachers and pupils and parents.
The difficulties
The difficulty we really had since the beginning was with the transfer of money in Senegal for the first transfer of 4500 EUROS, it took us about two/ three weeks so that the money goes to the bricklayer to start the building works. And the last transfer we had the same problem .
We do not send the total of the the sum because it is better to transfer progessevely every two months funds in Senegal to the responsable of the building works.
Other difficulties were the coordination with the teacher and communication, we spent one month to find the team responsible of the building of the library and we wait until having his evaluation of the work.
Due to these delays when transfering money , and due to the time spend to find the building team, the project will be delayed of two month and half to end all the foreseen activities
The teachers.
There is a very good communication between the teachers and the association Oukout Africa. Their role in the project is essential and we can feel how participative they are which is very important for us.
The teachers are keeping all the bills of the expenses on the field. We will recuperate them when a volunteer of our association will go to visit the project.
