Walls Completed on the Nkhanga Village Library
September 2008
Scaffolding work progress as walls are built.
Nkhanga Village Community Library (Nkhanga Branch) is a major project of the Zambia Knowledge Bank. Phenomenal progress has been made as the construction of the walls of the 3100 Sq. ft. building has just been completed. The Construction of the walls was completed on August 27, 2008. The last amount of funding that is now needed for the roofing of the library is $6,000.00 (Six Thousand Dollars). The urgent matter is that rains in Zambia start in November (in about 2 months) and if the roofing is not done before then, the rains which are from November to April, could ruin this almost finished gorgeous 3100 Sq. ft. building which is perhaps the most ambitious but successful project so far.
During Winter and Spring this year, a fundraising campaign was conducted to raise $10,000.00 (Ten Thousand
A fundraising campaign in the US provides for door and window frames and to pay contractors and workers.
Dollars) to complete the construction of the Nkhanga Village Library brick walls and roofing. Donations were received from Luray United Methodist Church and Bridgewater Church of the Brethren congregations, Bridgewater College Students, faculty, staff, and dozens of individuals from the community in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia and elsewhere in the United States. A total of $5984.50 was raised which was immediately sent to the Construction Committee in the village to buy door and window frames, transport, paying contractors, and temporary workers. The construction of the walls has just been completed.
One of the key reasons why the raised funds could not be stretched to finish the roofing is that the US dollar had declined over the summer so much compared to the Zambian Kwacha, even just over the last 3 months, that the money raised was not enough to complete the roofing. Just to give you specific examples:
The rising cost of cement and windows as well as the exchange rate compounded building difficulties.
In June 2007 a 110 lb. (50Kg) bag of cement cost $12.50 but now costs $21.87. Each one of the 4 large Library windows was estimated to cost $35.89 each last June 2007 but this June 2008 cost $156.25 each. The windows are made and welded in the small town by small businesses. The exchange rate of the US dollar to the Zambian Kwacha was $1.00 to K4,000.00 in June 2007. In June 2008 the exchange rate was $1.00 to K3200.00. The US dollar compared to the Kwacha had depreciated by at least 20%. The rising oil prices compounded the difficulties.
Work inside the library progresses.
My heartfelt appeal is that if you can contribute or you know someone who might be able to donate toward the completion of the roofing of this very valuable project, please let me know immediately. Any amount you can donate will go for a great cause. If the roofing is completed before the end of the year, the library could be open for community use within a matter of months. Please write checks to: Zambia Knowledge Bank.
Send the check to: Dr. Mwizenge Tembo, 302 Sandstone Circle, Bridgewater, VA 22812
Thank you