PART DUEX
The big project that was accomplished this year was the renovation of the Homework Place. The space in the front yard of the Koumbassa home where the GKEF students gather for tutoring 4 days a week was formerly made from partial walls and a partial roof. It was not protected from Guinea’s intense rainy season or from the distracting noise next door. Above is a photo of what the Homework Place used to look like.
Karim organized workers and neighbors and even the k
ids helped in building a new structure.
ids helped in building a new structure. The children in the neighborhood really enjoyed aiding in the construction of their own homework place. Imagine how good it must have felt to them to have the quality of their educations matter enough to have their own place built. Imagine their satisfaction and investment in helping to build their new Homework Place.
Complete with three concrete walls and a full roof, the Homework Place is now a permanent building protected from rain and external sound.
Two new chalkboards, closets for teacher and student supplies, and custom made bench-desks were also added to enhance the use of the space.
When the children first came to see the Homework Place after it was finished and the chalkboards and desks were arranged, they were all very surprised by their “fancy” new seats.
Karim asked them, “What do you think all these chairs are for?”
The answer he received was, “Are you going to open a movie theater?”
“No! They are for you!” The children were overjoyed.
This is your place, kids. Enjoy it.
According to Karim many of the children were quite hilarious in their construction efforts. Once it took five children to attempt to lift a wheelbarrow full of cement, sand, and gravel, then they were mixing the wrong things together, and finally ended up throwing sand on each other! Needless to say, they had some fun!
Complete with three concrete walls and a full roof, the Homework Place is now a permanent building protected from rain and external sound.Two new chalkboards, closets for teacher and student supplies, and custom made bench-desks were also added to enhance the use of the space.When the children first came to see the Homework Place after it was finished and the chalkboards and desks were arranged, they were all very surprised by their “fancy” new seats.Karim asked them, “What do you think all these chairs are for?”
The answer he received was, “Are you going to open a movie theater?”
“No! They are for you!” The children were overjoyed.
This is your place, kids. Enjoy it.