This was the first time that EPAfrica had tried using a Central Pot and the response from project workers and partner schools was overwhelming. The money was divided between ten schools in the following way:
Four schools got electricity. For two of these schools- Demesi and Nyaburumbasi- this led to the immediate use of computers in the school. Demesi now has a fully equipped computer lab- a huge resource for the students- and Nyaburumbasi has computers for administrative purposes thereby making substantial savings on typing and printing services. In addition to those four, Raigumo school was provided with an internet and printer connection which will reap huge benefits for the school as an income generating project as well as providing an invaluable resource for students.
Five schools were provided with water tanks. Water procurement is a huge problem for most EPAfrica schools. These schools were chosen because their need was particularly acute leading to students regularly missing lessons to go collect water. Having a reliable water supply is also vital for the proper running of any laboratory. Water tanks will make conducting experiments much easier and should therefore have a big impact on grades in the vital science subjects.
The images at the end of the video demonstrate just how big a difference this made to the schools and how much it meant to the students and teachers we work with. We hope that seeing this impact makes the hours, weeks and months of pain the boys went through worthwhile!
EPAfrica would like to thank all of the group: Tom Bishop, Dafydd Evans, Austin Jepsen, Oli Jepsen, Laurence Pryer, Greg Storrar, Roy Clarke and Dave Bridle and, of course, their sponsors. Tom gave us the idea of the Central Pot which we hope to continue for many years, and Dave is responsible for the brilliant film below.