Dzilakorpe MA Primary School – Primary School Construction and WaSH Project, as well as Teacher Housing Construction

Background

The community of Dzilakorpe is located in the southeastern part of an island in Lake Volta, 22 km from Kete Krachi, the district capital. The island comprises a total of eight communities with approximately 3,300 inhabitants.

It is an abandoned island with a high rate of child trafficking. The community lacks any infrastructure. The island is missing basic facilities such as schools, toilets, a health center, drinking water, a road network, a police station, and much more.

The economy of the community consists of agriculture and fishing, mainly to meet their own needs.

Child trafficking is widespread on the island. Due to the lack of education and prospects, it is usually easy for fishermen to buy children from their parents for work on the lake. Abuse and sexual exploitation are a grim everyday reality for these children.

Due to the isolation and poor accessibility, there is hardly any help for the people on the island.

The Project

Dzilakorpe Primary School is currently attended by more than 350 students from all eight communities. For most, this means a long and arduous journey to school, often several kilometers, during which they must also search for water for the day.

The school itself is in a severe state of disrepair. It leaks when it rains, and the roof has collapsed several times during storms, posing a great danger to the students. There are neither windows nor doors. Stray animals, dust, and dirt further disrupt the classes. There is not enough school furniture, forcing many students to learn on the floor.

There is no room for all the students inside the building, so most of them have to be taught outside.

Neither drinking water nor toilets are available for the students and teachers, leading to catastrophic sanitary conditions as they have to relieve themselves outdoors.

Due to the location, it is difficult to recruit teaching staff for the school, as most find the long and complicated journey unfeasible.

Therefore, it is essential to build teacher housing along with a new school building, where teachers can live during the week.

The disastrous conditions at the school result in a high dropout rate. This leads to increased teenage pregnancies, child trafficking, and a cycle of poverty.

By constructing a new, fully equipped school building with six classrooms, a mechanized water supply, and sanitary facilities:

• all students will have access to education.
• students and staff will have access to clean drinking water, adequate sanitary facilities, and handwashing stations.
• water-related diseases will be reduced due to improved hygiene conditions.
• students will be enabled to attend school regularly and punctually, thereby achieving school completion.
• hygiene practices among students and teachers will be significantly improved through promotions and training.
• girls will be able to attend school even during menstruation.
• child trafficking will be curbed.

Status: Ongoing; funded by the Reiner Meutsch Foundation FLY & HELP
Cost: Approximately €143,000