The Nkhanga Village Library
July 2007
Work progresses on the foundation of the library.
The Nkhanga Branch Village library is 42m (138ft) long and 5.5m (23 ft.) wide; and 231 Sq. m (3,174 Sq. ft.). The laying of the Foundation Slab was completed on July 23 and all the workers were paid. This was the hardest part. This phase of the project would not have worked as well had my brother Vincent not taken charge and provided the leadership. Of the initial about fifteen members of the committee involved in the project, there are now eight committed members from the community; 2 women and 6 men.
Committed workers on the library project.
The local representative in Zambian National Assembly, (equivalent of Congressman) for Chasefu Constiuency, Honorable Chifumu Banda has been very helpful. My brother Vincent (Treasurer of Nkhanga Branch) and I met him in Lusaka in the Capital City and he immediately donated Four Hundred Thousand Zambian Kwacha ($100.00) from his pocket. We immediately used it to buy 10 bags of cement. He has pledged support for the project.
The foundation slab emerges above the ground.
Four of some of the more than twenty boxes of books donated from Thomas Harrison Middle School and some BC faculty have arrived. More than 800 books have been mailed. The library has stimulated a lot of attention and imagination from the nation and the local district and community. I am personally very excited about it although there is still a long way to go before it is completed. We have so spent approximately K20,000,000.00($5,000.00) on the project of funds donated by friends and relatives in the USA. Some publishing companies want to donate sets of Encyclopedias. An estimated K23, 000,000.00 ($5,750.00) is needed to complete the project.
Workers carried water to the work site for use in cement and building.
The following are the items needed to complete the construction of the Nkhanga Branch Village library which is 42m (138ft) long and 5.5m (23 ft.) wide; and 3,174 Sq. Ft. The following are rough estimates as we still have to get a roofer to give us more firm figures. Some items still have to be priced.
- 120 Roofing sheets 12ft. long and 2ft. 4ins wide @ K50,000.00 ($12.50) each
- 120 Roofing sheets 8ft. long and 2ft. 4ins wide @ K45,000.00 ($11.00) each
- 10 Roofing sheets 12ft. long and 2ft. 4ins. wide for 2 toilets and 1 room security guard house @ K50,000.00 ($12.50) each
Books arrive from the United States.
- 23 Building Roofing Ridge @ K25,000.00 each
- Estimated 42 (24ft x 4in) timber roofing rafters @ K18,000.00 ($4.60) each
- 10 Six glass windows @ K140,000.00 ($37.00)each
- 4 Large windows (350cms x 150cms) @ K200,000.00 ($51.67) each
- 11 Door Frames @ K100,000.00 ($25.80)each
- 15 Long Tables
- 100 Plastic Chairs
The foundation slab stands completed.
I hope the impression you get from this report is that there is so much there you can do with so little money. If you do know someone, yourself, or an organization that can give the project a grant in a lump some of about Six Thousand Dollars ($6,000.00), the project could be completed by next March and the Nkhanga Village Library could be ready for opening next July.
Expenses
Expenses 2007 in pdf format