Runner-up ‒ Not-for-Profit Organisation: Project Build
Matric pupils at Kwa-Ntebeni Comprehensive High School in rural KwaZulu-Natal celebrated when they were able to write their final exams together in one classroom for the first time. Before that milestone was reached in 2004, the matrics had to write their exams in separate, cramped classrooms.
The new hall at their school in the Valley of 1 000 Hills was sponsored by local businesses and constructed by Project Build, a non-profit organisation that has built more than 5 000 classrooms in the province. It also arranged the construction of a technical drawing classroom, a bricklaying workshop and a computer room at the Kwa-Ntebeni school.
Voges Meyer, a spokesperson for the school, said it had never had a hall before Project Build stepped in. “It is a big advantage that the hall has a ceiling, especially during the hot summer days,” he said.
Project Build, formerly the Natal Schools Project Trust, has been erecting educational buildings for the past 30 years. In addition to an average of 160 classrooms a year, it builds toilets, computer rooms, administration blocks and laboratories.
Chief executive Suzanne Edmunds said government figures showed the province was short of at least 14 000 classrooms and there was hardly a rural or peri-urban school that did not lack facilities.
“Ninety-nine percent of our beneficiaries are from rural areas. It is only education that is going to break down the poverty to ensure a positive future for this country,” Edmunds said.
The Investing in the Future judges praised Project Build not only for the essential infrastructure it builds, but also for its skills training in rural communities. Over the years it has developed good working relationships with donor companies and the department of education, they said.
The organisation’s slogan is “building schools and communities in KwaZulu-Natal”. It gets buy-in from the schools, which are required to pay a deposit, no matter how small. The schools also need to provide accommodation for builders and security during building.
Project Build raises funds from donors and trains local people during the process of building. Many end up setting up their own micro-enterprises and independent businesses afterwards.
“We supply all materials and technical supervision. We sign labour-only contracts and there is ongoing training and regular seminars,” said Edmunds. Topics include financial management, skills upgrading and HIV/Aids prevention and awareness.
She said rural schools often played a more pivotal role in their communities than urban schools. “They see themselves as active, integral parts of their communities,” she said.
“It is always a rewarding experience to see learners who previously attended class under a tree or in a dilapidated mud hut finally able to go to school in a properly constructed classroom. The hand-over of classrooms is a day of great celebrations in the community,” she said. “All the leaders of the area are invited. There are speeches and and there is singing and dancing.”