November 2020
November 15, 2020
Finally, the toilets of the elementary school in Ruli are completed and the pupils can use them.
The large tank (5 m³) was installed in order to be independent of the rainy season and the local water supply.
Since November 2, classes 5 + 6 have been going to school again. Classes 4 will start again on November 23. The start of classes 1 – 3 is not yet fixed.
It includes great efforts for the schools to implement the government’s hygienic requirements. The headmaster of the elementary school, Alphonse, told us that it is a special challenge that all children wear face masks. At the moment they are considering whether it is possible to get uniform masks for all children.
We are very happy about the completion of the project – and hope that soon all pupils can go back to school!
Take care everybody!
July 2020
The article was published in the German newspaper Neue Westfälischen on July 22, 2020.
You can see the complete article here:
June 2020
June 25, 2020
Nearly finished!
Just some more days before the construction of the new toilet building for the primary school in Ruli is completed. The hard-working helpers – most of them students of the vocational school ETR from Ruli – are working without break- despite the Corona crisis! On the following photos you can see the new toilets in the tiled room, a tiled urinal, washbasins etc. – everything easy to clean and hygienic – which is incredibly important especially in these times!
June 2nd, 2020
Finishing works on the construction site in Ruli: the vocational students of our partner school ETR lay the tiles in the new toilets for the pupils of the primary school in Ruli.
The project “Pupils help pupils” – is very well organized and lived here! We are very happy about the progress and thank all the hard-working people on site!
May 2020
May 19, 2020
Also in Rwanda the strict measures in the Corona crisis were reduced a little bit and the last construction works on the toilets can start: From outside the new toilets of the primary school Ruli look very good, but inside there is still some work to be done.
The tiling work will begin this week.
May 1st, 2020
At last, the work on the construction site can continue.
On April 30th, the anti-corona measures in Rwanda were eased a little bit. In the districts outside Kigali work is allowed again in many sectors- and also on the construction site.
John, our construction manager, assumes that the remaining work for the completion of the new toilets for the primary school in Ruli can start again quickly – even if the pupils have to stay at home until September – this rule applies to all pupils nationwide.
On the construction site, the current standard hygiene rules and precautions must, of course, be observed:
- no more workers than necessary
- no grouping
- keep sufficient distance
- wear masks
- wash hands regularly
According to official figures, there are 243 persons infected with Covid-19 in Rwanda – as of 30.4.2020 – but no deaths so far. 104 people have already recovered.
In Ruli there are still no Covid-19 infections, as far as we know – and we hope that it will continue to be so!
April 2020
April 5. 2020
We have nearly made it – only the tiles of the new toilets are missing!
But at the moment, due to the corona crisis, the work on the construction site for the new toilets of the primary school in Ruli has been stopped.
In Rwanda, too, there are very strict exit restrictions. Just this morning, Alphonse – the headmaster of the primary school – wrote from Ruli that they are all at home there. Luckily, there are no Corona cases in Ruli at the moment – we keep our fingers crossed that you will all get through this crisis in good health.
For our friend and construction manager John, home office is currently on the agenda.
And in between, John enjoys the time with the three-year-old twins Teila and Tekla and supports his wife Bernadette, who gave birth to little Rosa Tilly just last week.
Congratulations to the new family member!
March 2020
March 20, 2020
Even in these difficult times, we hear bad news as well as good news.
The corona virus has now reached Rwanda – fortunately, so far only with very few cases. However, the schools and universities there have immediately been closed and the borders are almost closed as well. There are currently no more passenger flights to and from Rwanda – until 20th April.
We are constantly in contact with our friends in Kigali and Ruli.
But despite this difficult situation the construction work in Ruli continues – and the toilets are almost ready:
The chambers are ready and already covered.
We would like to thank the busy workers on site for being still at work!
March 3, 2020
After the building works have been completed, the interior fittings are now being prepared:
At first, the walls were plastered and are now painted in bright and friendly colors. The drain pipes in front of the individual toilets are also clearly visible.
However, the toilets still lack the “inner working” – but this is also under progress: they are casting the ground plates of the individual toilet cabins.
February 2020
February 14, 2020
Happy Valentine – as you can see in the following pictures, they do not just celebrate in Ruli but continue their building efforts:
The installations are started and the first pipes and drains are visible.
February 8, 2020
The masonry students in Ruli are really working without break:
The following pictures show the different heights of the recesses for the pipes of the 3-chamber system:
February 5, 2020
Despite the heavy rains, which lead to serious flooding in parts of Rwanda at the moment, the construction site shows considerable progress!.
The three sedimentation chambers are growing day by day.
The drainage well has been already been excavated to a depth of 20 m and was immediately covered with a concrete cover for safety reasons.
January 2020
January 29, 2020
Just before the end of the month we got new photos from Ruli. Despite the rainy season in Rwanda, the construction work quickly continues.
Now they are building the foundation for the sedimentation chambers.
The ladders as well as the work safety certainly don’t match the German standards – but the work progresses much faster than on many construction sites in Germany 🙂
January 24, 2020
Once again, we received exciting news from Ruli:
The enormous dimensions of the 3-chamber system for the new toilets of the Ruli primary school are already visible.
The sedimentation chambers will be 7m long, 3m wide and 3m deep.
The drainage well has a side length of 1.5 m and is actually 20 m deep!
And everything is done manually – unbelievable!
January 18, 2020
Unbelievable what the team in Ruli achieves – now the pits for the three-chamber system are also prepared – and everything is done by hand, completely without excavators or similar.
In contrast to the original planning with a flat roof, a double pitch roof was built over the entire building and now also covers the lateral areas with the wash basins and the urinals for the boys.
For building the metal roof, the vocational students used the welding equipment with which welding courses are held at the ETR vocational school – a very useful donation from the catholic Pastoralen Raum WerreWeser.
January 14, 2020
In January the construction of the toilets continues. We have just received the following pictures:
The current roof construction has been modified compared to the initial planning, the toilets will now be completely covered. If you have ever experienced a rainy season in Rwanda, you will for sure understand this modification.
January 9, 2020
Association from Bad Oeynhausen provides toilets in school in Rwanda
The association Ikiraro thanks donors for their help with the project in Ruli. Students also help to realize this project.
Article published in the Neuen Westfälischen on 08.01.2020
You can read the complete article here:
January 2020 in Ruli
It is unbelievable what the students of the vocational school perform – the pupiles of the Ruli primary school are certainly looking forward to their new toilets. The construction progress is clearly visible!
The security issue is considered differently in Rwanda – and we hope that the scaffolding is solid and safe….
Christmas – Boxing Day 2019
Also on December 26th the vocational students in Ruli were busy building the foundation of the new toilets. Normally they are on holiday at the moment, but the students are doing an internship – certainly for a good cause 🙂 We thank you for your great contribution!
Christmas 2019
A Merry Christmas and all all the best, luck and health for the next year to our friends, supporters, donors and interested people.
And in Ruli they are also celebrating: the foundation is growing:
December 2019
We finally started:
Thanks to all your donations and the great support, the first part of the collected money for the new toilets of the primary school could be remitted to Ruli – we thank you very much!
The students and teachers of the vocational school are marking out the area for the new toilets and the work on the foundation will start soon.
We keep you updated here with further information and pictures.
The building time for the new toilets – once again under the motto “Students help students” – should take approx. three months.
November 2019
What a great success – The band Harpyie from Bad Oeynhausen sold their roll-up banner of the last tour – and earned € 322 for Ikiraro!
Further details regarding this project were published in today’s Neue Westfälische.
You can read the complete article here lesen.
This picture will soon belong to the past – we can soon start building new toilets!
The students of the primary school in Ruli/Rwanda will be happy.
The money for the first two construction phases has been collected, but there are still some preparations and cooperative discussions missing as well as financial means to reach the estimated total cost of 11,500 €.
In order to reach our goal quickly, we have started a donation project on betterplace.org for the target amount of 4.500 €, please click here to reach the website of the project.
Of course, we still rely on donations via our Ikiraro e.V.-account (DE 60 4905 1285 0008 3045 94) at the Sparkasse Bad Oeynhausen-Porta Westfalica.
Again under the motto “Students help students”, the bricklayer students of the vocational school in Ruli will carry out the work – thus combining practical learning and gaining a profit for the further development of their own school, which is also supported by us.
The planning and site management for our current project are in the hands of John, a young engineer whom we have known since childhood, when he grew up in the orphanage in Ruli.
The new toilets will be built sustainably, with a three-chamber system, and there will also finally be a disabled toilet in the primary school.
We will keep you updated here and on Facebook regarding the process of this project.
Many thanks for your support!