As their contribution to the development effort the villagers had agreed to provide the bricks and their labor to the construction of the school. In Madagascar bricks, provided clay is available, are often locally made by specialized brick makers.
The clay needs to be dug from a clay pit and each brick is made
by hand in a wooden mold. Lined up and dried in the sun the bricks
are then piled up in larger structures and slowly burned (either
with wood or peat moss). The process of burning can take up to
a week or two, depending on the amount of bricks and the weather.
Burned clay bricks are more durable and resistant to rain than
rammed earth bricks, are easier to maintain and are better suited
for the school.
The bricks for the school should be ready in 15 days around August
25, 2006. The building of the school will start the last week
of August and the school should be finished and ready to use
in September 2006. In the past few weeks there was too much rain
and the villagers werent able to make the bricks. Every time
it rains they have to interrupt making the clay blocks, since
they need to be dried in the sun before they can be burned.
Pictures of the finished school click here
More School Links
Building our schools:
Building the first school (2006)