In May 2024, I returned to Bajope in Guinea Bissau This time, Lurdes came.
Our surprise was that the water well is already finished and they can get it with buckets, nine meters deep. For them it was a big step, because otherwise they would have to go and find it on foot 600m away.
This time, Pap, who came from Dakar as the person in charge of the work, has finished installing the missing solar panels for the well and in this way, and with a water pump, we have been able to install a tap that will make it even easier and faster for them to obtain it.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
So, the novelty has been that we have been able to wash more often and more than wash, refresh ourselves, because the heat is the dish of the day.
Regarding the school, we have also seen that the foundations are already advanced. The problem is, once again, the lack of water.
Alberto found the bricks budget too expensive and they decided to make them by hand to save money. (that says a lot on his part). The problem was that the water pump in the school’s well wasn’t working and the bricks had to be wet so they wouldn’t dry out in the sun and crumble, which was starting to happen. So, Pap, Lurdes and I found ourselves one afternoon at 38 degrees C, going to fetch water on foot from another well about 50m away for two hours and soaking the bricks to harden them. Given the problem and its urgency, we have to try to find a new water pump so as not to delay the work. So, Pap will bring one from Dakar, along with some workers who are more used to the works and will be able to speed up the work.
Lurdes was in charge of teaching different games to the school children. We even had the teachers play the handkerchief and statue game. It was a special morning for everyone and we all had a great time together.
In the evening, Pap, Alberto, who resembles Nelson Mandela and we have named him that, and myself met to evaluate the school’s current project and its future. So, we decided to do a new project for the future, which could be finished in two years, or more. Everything is very slow due to the lack of any material that has to be found, either in Canchungo about 9 km away or in the capital, Bissau, about two and a half hours away by jeep.
The project would be:
- Construction of a building with three rooms, two of which would be so that when it rains and the teachers cannot come to work, since they live in Canchungo, they could spend the night there and thus schooling is not delayed. The third room would have first aid services, which currently do not exist.
- Expand the water fountain so children can wash their hands before entering class.
- Install solar panels at the school to obtain electricity to run a projector to show educational documentaries.
- Budget for new kindergarten equipment such as tables, chairs, blackboards and other school materials.
- We propose to Marcelo, a young unemployed teacher, to become a teacher at the new school. Alberto agrees and they will have a meeting between them. You will receive a salary of around 35,000 XFO = €55 for 10 months.
Back in Bissau, with Zeferina, a pharmacist who has a brother who works in Ripoll, and we introduced her to this, she accompanied us to buy a small first aid kit for the school. Gauze, band-aids, hydrogen peroxide, betaine, bandages and ointment for pain.
It is necessary to highlight the role of Lurdes when teaching games and practicing them with all the children and teachers. It was a different day for Alberto, Mamo, Anna Maris and Adeneus.
Likewise, I want to thank Pap for his good knowledge of the cause, his skill and speed in finding solutions and the good contacts in his environment that allow the project to progress more quickly.
