The Faces of Kimbondo

The funding goal was met over the weekend, the sand, gravel, and cement was delivered on Monday, and the brick-making has commenced.  Somehow, by Thursday, 500 have been made.  (Roughly 4,000 will be used in all.)

  

           

I hope to be stopping by next week to see the progress for myself.  In the interim, here's a look at some of the Kimbondo residents who will be living in more comfortable accommodations in just a few short months.

  

   

                  

                  

                             

                 

                           

   

Goal. Met.

And on the same day, some 40 tons of sand and "finely ground gravel" arrived.  The brick-making should begin this week.

(Serious damage to the road there...)

20 Tons of Sand Have Been Ordered

As we close in on our fundraising goal--we will be mighty close to $25,000 in a single month of efforts; y'all are awesome!--we have decided to get starting.

On Thursday, Madlen put in an order for 20 tons of sand and an equal amount of what I think is "finely ground gravel", but she doesn't know the English term.  Regardless, they are scheduled to arrive on Monday.  When combined with the 40 bags of cement (scheduled for Wednesday), the builder will have the materials needed to begin making bricks...a lot of bricks.

In other words, at some point in the next 100 hours, we expect the construction process to have begun.

A nice collateral benefit of providing better housing for abandoned kids is that this will really help some local families with the labor it provides.  Jobs are beyond scarce in the Kinshasa area, and this project will provide some short term employment for roughly 25 people--almost all of whom have extended family obligations.  Additionally, we've put $500 in the budget to provide (modestly) paid apprenticeships for ten older Kimbondo residents with hopes that it will provide them with the skills needed to support themselves when they leave the orphanage.

Madlen has promised photos of what 40 tons of sand and "finely ground gravel" looks like.  Stay tuned.