Thanks to so many of you who have stood with us throughout the $8M Hope Haven Secondary School campus project we first dreamed of in 2018. I am thrilled to share that we are getting closer and closer to completion of this massive 185,000 square foot building project!
Hope Haven Rwanda has been gifted with a remarkable executive leadership team in Rwanda full time. They are the real heroes of this project’s success story!
We also have the opportunity for many of our US team members to serve in the field regularly and it is always exciting for me to hear how they perceive the progress on campus. As we used to say in the military, there’s nothing like “boots on the ground” to get a sense of what is really happening in the field.
Michelle Jordan, one of our longest-serving team members, is in Rwanda now and I asked her to share her reflections shortly after she arrived last week:
“After coming to Rwanda this month, I am struck by the incredible progress that has been made in the few short months since I was last on-site. The pace of activity on the campus has continued at a swift rate. Both the Secondary School and Dorm structures are nearly complete, with the roof trusses being worked on right now. The exterior finished brick work is nearly complete and where there used to be piles of bricks on-site, there are now beautiful red-brick walls.
While walking through the buildings I got a real sense of how the final structure will look as there are now walls and stairs and even some window frames. While the scale of the buildings is incredible to see from the outside, walking through the rooms has really solidified the vision for me.
As the buildings begin to come together, the excitement on campus is increasing as well! Our secondary teachers are getting anxious to start teaching in the new building in September.
The building of this campus is an amazing collaboration of multiple experts in Rwanda to help us create what will be a model school in the nation. Through the combination of an amazing staff on the ground in Rwanda, incredible volunteers helping us with design and implementation advice, and a highly-skilled construction team, I am confident we will have a first-class secondary boarding school ready for students in the fall!”
Here are some specific progress updates for those of you who have helped us along the way:
1. Welding and installing secondary school windows – 85% Complete
2. Installing secondary school roof trusses – 85% Complete
3. Installing dormitory trusses and windows – 85% Complete
4. Welding doors – 85% Complete
5. Plastering interior walls – 80% Complete
6. Primer coat for interior walls – 60% Complete
7. Exterior Bricks – 90% Complete
8. Electrical infrastructure – 65% Complete
9. Plumbing infrastructure – 65% Complete
10. Rainwater catchment tanks: Tank 1: 100%, Tank 2: 80%, Tank 3: 85%, and Tank 4: 100%
We’re not there yet, but we can definitely see the end. This fantastic new campus is going to be known as one of the best in the country, and we are nearly there. Thanks for your prayers, gifts and expertise each step of the way!