School and Clinic

_{The new school (September 2009)}

Building work for the school started in February 2007. Up to March 2008 we had sent £30,000 and the school is almost complete. The building consists of 3 classrooms, an office with a store and a community hall or general work space.

August 2008 We are thrilled that the new school is at last completed and due to open in September. One of the committee members is busy raising funds and making plans to attend the opening ceremony.
The new school has three classrooms which can each be divided into two and so can accommodate up to two hundred and seventy children from Bangbutt and the surrounding villages. It also has a large hall which can be used by the community and a head teacher’s office. At the moment the people in Bangbutt are busy helping with the constuction of latrines for the school and also making furniture for one of the classrooms. The children are very excited. Up until now they have been taught in very cramped conditions in the grain store or outside. The villagers need their grain store and the children need a suitable working environment.

September 2009 Barbara and Lottie went out for the opening of the school. They also took advantage of their time out there to make useful contacts. Their report is in the section on reports.

March 2010 The school has been up and running for 18 months now and is a great asset to Bangbutt and the surrounding area. During last year we were able to send out donated books and educational equipment for use in the school. We also sent out donated bicycles to be used in the community and money to buy bicycles for the teachers who were walking long distances each day to get to school.

The clinic is a separate building and consists of a dispensary, waiting area, and consulting room. At present it is being used to house the headteacher who doesn't live in the village. We hope that the clinic will eventually fulfil its original purpose but until the government funding, we were promised, happens we think it is better to use it rather than leave an empty building.