Saturday, April 25, 2009

The Estimate


Me in a grass classroom good thing the kids are smaller than me! Five kids squeeze into these desks for six hours of class.

It is nice to know where your money is going. Here is the building cost and materials for the two classrooms.

Rebar for the cement floor: $421.05
Gravel for the foundation: $770.02
Metal facia for ground floor: $505.26
Rebar for the cement walls: $1,1178.95
Cement: $6,315.79
Metal Corner posts: $505.26
Metal door and window frame supports: $212.63
Metal fasica for ceiling: $292.63
Outside coating of water sealant: $1,052.63
Rain gutters: $257.91
Wood drop ceiling: $757.89
Interior coating: $303.16
Stucco coating for outside: $682.10
Chalkboard area coating: $88.43
Coating for interior concrete floor: $663.15
Metal door: $210.53
Metal Windows: $526.31
Metal aeration vents: $75.79
Paint for interior walls: $669.47
Paint for doors and windows: $94.48
Chalkboard paint: $117.91
Fourteen new school desks: $795.79

Total contribution from America is: $16,497.14

My community will provide sand, water, and hard work. There cost is calculated below.

Labor: 11 people x 90 days = 990 laborers/work days.
$3.37 per day x 990 = $3,334.74. The total labor cost.

It is shocking to realize that $3.37 per day for work is a very good wage. Hired farm workers make $1.58 per day and it is considered good money. Most families live on about a dollar a day here.

Sand: 300 carts of sand x $4.21 per cart= $1,263.16.

The sand meeds to be very fine in order to make the cement strong. They will carry it from about 4 miles away on ox carts.


Water:
1000 carts x $0.63 per cart = $631.57

The community will contribute all of these things for free. There work hours, the sand, and the water. They are putting out a lot of effort for the school because they realize the importance of education and many of my older friends wished they had had the oppertunity to graduate from primary school.

1 comment:

  1. It is with gratitude for your magnanimous commitment to the rule of law and good governance as well as to the sustainability of Mother Earth and the well-being of all its children - also in Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Republic of Niger in particular here - that i turn to you.
    The ways in which 'Peace Corps' helps the needies, protects the environment, the fauna and flora, while promoting solidarity and harmonious development through the advocacy of rational and humane attitude/relationships with nature and natural resources, are truly an example to emulate.

    Sir,
    It is absolutely clear now, that the greatest threat to mankind and Earth itself comes from overpopulation, which is growing at an exponential rate - as underlined in a recent UN Study: Slower Population Growth To Help Environment, UN Study concluded (18 November 2009): http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j74yWpJ1atBwCsu78IVj2VOABDzg

    The efforts to preserve the crucial balance between the needs of Human societies and the imperatives of the environment in your country and in certain parts of Africa and the rest of our world are certainly commendable, but still more should be done. The current situation requires that and quite urgently.
    Furthermore, the taboo hanging above the topic of human reproduction must be lifted in all countries.
    We have to fully understand the crucial role played by overpopulation in the current, deplorable state of Earth global affairs and acknowledge that we, Humans, and the ways we go about life put too much stress on Earth - specially with the knowledge, that the petroleum age is reaching its logical end, as studies show here: http://www.energiekrise.de/ (ASPO = Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas; in German language)

    Do please endorse us, and most importantly, do strongly advocate a rational, democratic and scientific birth control, at home, in Niger and elsewhere abroad; add your influential voice to ours, help us promote a humane and just solution to this tragedy!

    Our major petition calling for such a world wide birth control is to be found at our campaign site, here : http://www.futureofmankind.co.uk/Billy_Meier/Special:Petition


    With gratitude for the Honour of your Service and sincere Respect,

    Adam
    www.thecircleforhumanity.net
    The Netherlands.

    ReplyDelete