Construction of a new maternity unit at Libuyu Health Centre is in full swing.
The centre is situated in a densely populated part of Livingstone, approximately 4km from the town centre. It serves a population of over 20,000 people.
The new Maternity and Infant Health Unit at the clinic will be a single storey building housing an antenatal ward and a post-natal ward. There will be more beds, and more privacy. A new delivery room will increase safety and capacity.
Setting out – transferring the design from paper to the land. Key points and guide markers were set out.
Construction work is being led by Build It graduates Emmanuel, Benson and Mike, who recently completed our project at Light of Hope Community School. The work is being overseen by our Site Agent Bongani Munyenyembe.
Excavations for the foundations
The site has a lot of water service pipes, some of which have had to be re-routed. In addition, excavations discovered buried pits filled with plastic waste. The plastic had to be removed and the earth recompacted to stabilise the ground. This will help avoid any uneven settlement in the future.
The community living around the health centre has played an active role in the project. Most recently they have contributed 40 tons of building sand and 20 tons of laterite towards the build. They have also provided some labour, helping with the excavations for the foundations.
Graduate Mike working on the concrete casting
The concrete slab was poured and levelled
Graduate Emmanuel and team set out the ‘superstructure’ – the part of the building above ground level
The team have made great progress with the blockwork, and are currently fitting door and window frames
We look forward to sharing more photos and updates as the build progresses.
Thank you for your continued support.
