Construction of the classroom building for the Dougbe River Presbyterian School was delayed by the condition of some of the bridges in Konobo District. Our contractor, Eric Waylee, e-mailed us Jan. 13 to say that he had a truck full of cement and steel rods and serious concerns about the bridges he needed to drive over.
A crew of volunteers was assembled and worked to put down new planks on the bridges. The General Board sent money from the United States to Liberia to feed the volunteers and fuel the school chain saw.
Three bridges were repaired and reinforced, the building materials were delivered to the school site that is split between the villages of Sayuo and Buway, and work has begun on the foundation of the building. When complete, it will have eight classrooms and a library. There will also be a separate structure with latrines.
Now it’s a race to complete the building before the rainy season begins in May. If we succeed in that, we plan to hire teachers (probably four, including a principal) and begin in 2011 to teach students from Sayuo, Buway and Whybo, the three villages within walking distance of the school site. Expansion to serve nine other Twarbo Region villages will happen after we’ve raised the money to build dormitories.