All Hands on Deck in Sawaya!
July 15, 2024
The Sawaya community gifted a parcel of land for the school building and Thereza’s residence. The village chief and elders recently executed a document to that effect, which they handed to Thereza with much joy. By utilizing the strategy of community organizing and proper Transformational Community Development (TCD) vision casting, the entire community has agreed to build the school with their own labor in order to cut costs. All hands are on deck in Sawaya! Different people are tasked with different responsibilities—clearing the land, sourcing stones, and making and burning clay bricks. The women prepare meals for the workers. The construction has not yet commenced due to extreme difficulties with the purchase and transportation of building materials that are not locally available in Sawaya. They need to come from Juba, South Sudan, so Thereza is currently working on how to solve this problem.
Transformational Community Development (TCD) Update
Education
The Sawaya community has formally gifted the TCD program the site for the school building. The locals are currently clearing the site and molding bricks for the building as they await cement and other building materials that are not locally available. In the meantime, the 350 children that attend the school continue to have classes under shade trees in the open field near the chief’s house. They are progressing well in their studies.
Income Generation
About 30 women continue to participate in their respective self-help groups. They assist members with difficult chores, including fetching firewood and water for household use, and they prioritize the needs of the elderly among them. The group is planning how to help each other carry out farm work this planting season as the rains are imminent. The plans for a cooperative workforce are still in place. In the meantime, they have started contributing funds into a piggy bank, each contributing about 20 cents weekly.
Thank you!
Written by: Shade
GHNI Assistant Regional Field Leader
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