Classroom construction – Brilliant Brains School

Brilliant Brains

Brilliant Brains Nursery and Primary School is a nursery and primary school, located in the Busokwa area, Kabarole district, western Uganda. It is a private school, created mainly for orphaned and vulnerable children from the villages near the school. The school started with approximately 80 children in 2016, and currently around 500 children between 3 and 15 years old attend class, many of whom are orphans.

Identification of the need

Despite the great work carried out at the Brilliant Brains school, allowing hundreds of children to attend school, the facilities are not the most adequate:

• Classrooms: The school has ten classrooms, which are divided into Nursery (Baby, Middle, Top) and Primary (P1-P7). The classrooms are close to each other, in a very deplorable state. The walls are made of wood veneer, so you can hear the lesson of the class next door at all times. In addition, the walls are full of holes and filled with dangerous elements, such as nails, wires and sharp wood, which can cause wounds and cuts, as well as some diseases such as Tetanus.
• Desks: The number of children per classroom varies based on the course, with an average attendance of approximately 70 children. Each class is equipped with about 10-12 benches, leading to a situation where 5-6 children often have to share a bench measuring about one and a half meters. Unfortunately, many of these benches are broken, requiring the children themselves to make repairs, using stones and any available materials to support them. In some instances, due to the high number of students, children are unable to find space on the benches and must resort to sitting on the floor, using wooden boards as makeshift desks.
• Floor: Two types of floors can be found in classrooms. Some are covered with cement, although most of the ground is raised, so there are potholes and loose stones. This is very dangerous for children, since many of them go barefoot. In the rest of the classrooms the floor is dirt, also in poor condition. Due to lack of soil in some areas or accumulation, puddles and mud occur. This means the appearance of mosquitoes, and with them the disease Malaria.
• Roof: It is also worth highlighting the general condition of the roof. Most classrooms are covered with aluminium or wooden roofs. The poor condition of these materials causes flooding in the classrooms, the deterioration of the materials found inside (backpacks, notebooks, benches, etc.) and above all, this leads to stopping classes when it rains. Uganda is a tropical country, very green, with abundant vegetation, due to high rainfall. During the rainy season it rains almost every day, so class interruptions are numerous.
• Lighting: The classrooms have two small wooden windows, which are the only source of lighting, so on cloudy days, the classrooms are very dark and many times the classes have to stop due to lack of vision.
• Blackboards: The blackboards are also in poor condition. Most of them are broken, so in many pieces it is not possible to write with chalk and it also makes it difficult to understand the text.

All of these conditions prevent creating an environment in which children can grow and learn safely. For this reason, in 2022 the Brilliant Brains class renewal project was launched by a volunteer from Cooperating Volunteers.

The project consists of the construction of 10 classrooms, 3 for preschool and 7 for primary. The initial budget was 150,033,050 Ugandan shillings (approximately €38,470).

The project had an initial investment of €24,000 thanks to the donation from the 2022 Benicasim charity Christmas market. Additionally, several fundraising campaigns have been carried out among other volunteers, which have raised €27,000.

Work on the school has had to be stopped until more funds are obtained. In addition, some unforeseen events have arisen, which have caused a slight increase in the initial budget:

• The approval of the project by the Ministry was not taken into account when preparing the budget.
• The foundation budget was raised considerably due to the poor quality of the land.
• Roof budget was under-budgeted.

Currently €26,176 are needed to finish the construction of the classrooms.

Proposed solution

Cooperating NGO intends to carry out a fundraising campaign in order to finish the Brilliant Brains classroom construction project. In addition, not only will the classes be completed, but they will also be equipped with the necessary furniture to promote student learning.

Implementation

• Phase 1 – Classroom construction: The 10 classrooms will be built in accordance with the school's requirements and local building regulations. Periodic inspections will be carried out to monitor construction progress. The safety of students and workers will be a priority during this phase.
• Phase 2 – Purchase of furniture: The necessary material to equip the classes will be purchased: desks and blackboards. The number of desks and blackboards will be based on the capacity of each classroom. Desks and whiteboards will be durable and suitable for students.

Phase 1 budget

• Walling: 1.316€
• Internal finishes: 2.342€
• External finishes: 1.211€
• Doors, windows & railings: 9.813€
• Roof: 9.556€
• Subtotal: 24.237€
• Administration (8%): 1.939€
• Total: 26.176€