EEMPS Girls Dormitory
Latest photos (December 28, 2021) of Girls’ Dormitory Progress
The area with low walls at the end of each wing is where children will wash their clothes.
Background
The Engaruka English Medium Primary School (EEMPS) started construction of its first dormitory in January 2021 with an initial grant of $30,000 USD from MEF thanks to our generous 2020 Giving Tuesday fundraiser donors. Sufficient funds were secured in 2021 to complete the entire dormitory and girl’s will start moving into it in January 2022. Eventually, the school will have both girls and boys dormitories. The estimated cost of each dormitory is $119,476 and each completed dormitory will house 120 students and a matron or teacher. When completed, each dormitory will have a central hub, matron’s quarters, entrance and 5 dormitory wings as shown below. We hope to complete the boys dormitory by January 2024.
Each dormitory wing will accommodate 24 students in 12 bunk beds and have four toilets and showers as well as a laundry area.
The dormitory wings will be connected to a central courtyard and entrance area with a central courtyard, library/study room, and a bedroom, kitchen, office and sitting room for the matron.
Crane Classroom and Library Building
Construction started on the 508m2 (5470ft2) five classroom and library building and adjacent restroom building on January 22, 2019 with funds provided by MEF. Construction was completed in June 2020 and students began using the new classrooms and library in June 2020 after a 3-month COVID-19 break. In August 2019, the 1st and 2nd grade classes were moved to the nearly finished classroom building so that construction could continue on the kitchen and laundry in the Peter Ozolins Dining Hall. On August 1, 2019, the buildings were formally dedicated and named the Crane Classroom and Library Building and Crane Restroom Building in appreciation of a $20,000 donation from the Crane Family of Columbus, Ohio.
Playground
In August 2019, Virginia Tech Service without Borders students and advisors visited the school and constructed a playground. They cleared approximately one-half hectare of land for the playground and then constructed a climbing tower with monkey bars, two sets of swings, a football (soccer) field with goals, a netball court, and seesaw/balance beams.
Peter Ozolins Dining Hall
Construction of the Dining Hall began in March 2018 and was completed in late 2019 using funds provided by the Maasai Education Foundation. To lower construction costs, burnt clay bricks formed and fired on-site were used in construction rather than concrete blocks. The dining hall was named the Peter Ozolins Dining Hall in honor of Peter Ozolins who had designed the dining hall and the TX Classroom Building. Peter died in an automobile accident in 2019.
- Dining Hall/Laundry (approximate cost $62,000):
- 300 m2 (3100 ft2) covered area for eating and meetings (semi-open sides)
- 25 m2 (265 ft2) cleanup area
- 17 m2 (190 ft2) laundry
- two – 9 m2 (90 ft2) storage rooms
- 24 m2 (260 ft2) serving area
- 25 m2 (270 ft2) cooking area
- 9 m2 (90 ft2) restroom
- 30 m2 (320 ft2) stage
Powerhouse
The Virginia Tech student organization, Service without Borders, donated $7,500 for a photovoltaic system to provide the school with electricity in 2018. The donation was used to construct the Powerhouse and to purchase and install a 1.8KW photovoltaic system with a battery bank to supply power at night. The photovoltaic system was installed on the Powerhouse which has an electrical room, a storage room and an office and will eventually have a large attached work/storage shed. The photovoltaic system went online in August 2019 and currently supplies the entire school with adequate electricity.
TX Building
Construction of the Engaruka-TX English Medium Pre-Primary School (TX Building) began in April 2017 and was completed in August 2017. The TX Building was constructed by Perfect Construction of Arusha with the assistance of community volunteers and 7 Virginia Tech Service without Borders student volunteers. A grand opening was held in September 2017 with representatives from the TX Foundation. Classes began in February 2018 for 48 pre-school students.
- TX Building: Consists of two pre-school classrooms, restrooms, and three offices (approximate cost: $100,000)
- One of the classrooms was used as a girls’ dormitory during the 2018 and 2019 school years.
- Funding: The TX Foundation of Taiwan donated $70,000 for the classroom building.
Temporary Kitchen and Dining Shed
Until the completion of the Peter Ozolins Dining Hall, a temporary metal shed was used as the school kitchen and dining hall. It served three meals a day for the girls and two meals for the boys.
Maasai Education Foundation 