After six months of planning and fundraising, work has finally commenced at the building site for this important new project.

Enoch and Sabron (pictured), former trainees of Build IT, have been working with the community to establish the building materials workshop. Around 20,000 blocks and 8,000 roof tiles will be hand-made here from next week.

The community is busy gathering over 400MT of sand, gravel and stones from within 5 km of the site. The local ward councillor has donated his flat-bed truck and around 80 people turn out every Thursday to shift the materials.

Final drawings await approval from the Ministry of Health but this is not expected to be a problem. There will be two main buildings; an out patients department a separate maternity unit (to provide greater privacy – one of the main requests from women in Nchute).  The layout is also very different from the standard cramped Ministry of Health facility with more circulation space and waiting area in the verandah with views overlooking the valley.   

Final costings are being calculated and Stone King Construction has been appointed the main contractor. They will have charge over 12 trainees who will be drawn from a pool of 17 selected from over 40 applicants. Final selection will be based on performance and attitude during a three week trial period. Callistus Kaoma, our Zambia Programme Director will oversee the project.