Almost done!!

Construction of the school is almost finished! All that's left is to fasten the roof, cement the floors, and paint it! It's hard to believe, but my stint in Mali is coming to an end as well. As I prepare for the next chapter of life, I look at this project as evidence that my time here was well spent. We are planning a closing ceremony when the school is finished, and it will be around the time I'll have to say my final goodbyes. In the meantime, here are photos of the amazing progress we've made:













Addendum: After much deliberation and soul searching, we decided to use the funds for the rainwater harvesting tanks to build an office for the teachers. In the long run, an office will give teachers an incentive to stay in Tongo (which has been a problem in the past), and it will provide a lockable place to store classroom materials like books and maps. And sadly the probable fate of the cisterns is that they would not be properly maintained and end up being unused in a matter of years (like everything else in Mali).

Building the cisterns is still a possibility, depending on what funds we have left over, but they're on hold for the moment.

Times Two

The second block of classrooms is rising as fast as the first and the brickwork for both is now finished! The next step is to put on the metal roof and plaster over the walls.
The level of participation from the village has been overwhelming. Both men and women show up to work everyday and don't stop until the sun goes down. We've got enough gravel for now to finish these two blocks. Things couldn't be going better!
It's an amazing feeling to stand between the two buildings, watching the work being done, and feel such a sense of pride and accomplishment.
More photos of the progress: