This is a well overdue update on construction efforts at Kulu Opal! Emma, other GDPU staff, and I visit the school twice a week to monitor construction. As soon as the pit was done, the Contractor and his team began lining the pit with bricks and concrete. They also started laying the foundation for stance walls and exterior building walls.
Then, the bricks in the pit were covered with a smooth layer of concrete and they built up the wall bases. You can see the construction crew in the pit in the photos below.
Once those were complete and dry, the crew covered the base with a slab of concrete, leaving latrine holes for each stance. The large hole on the left side of the photo below is the connection point to the pit so that it can be drained once it is full.
Over the last month, Emma, I, the interns, and other GDPU staff have been hard at work making liquid soap. This soap will be given to Kulu Opal at the handover ceremony and is sold to past GDPU beneficiary schools at a reduced cost.
Skim through the following photos below to see a summary of the construction progress! The next major step will be the wall and roof construction.
Posted By Julia Davatzes
Posted Jul 29th, 2024
2 Comments
Iain Guest
July 29, 2024
Having seen the deplorable state of toilets at this school last summer, I really like this blog!!! In addition to building these new toilets, I hope they can also get rid of the old buildings, some of which that date back to the 1990s and pose a huge risk to students. Super photo of you stirring the soap. Such a deft touch, Julia!
Mary Ellen Cain
August 5, 2024
It looks like you all have made great progress on the latrines, Julia! And it’s good to see that you’ve learned so much about soap-making!