Dear Family and Friends, 12 May, 2008
Construction Update
The work on the clinic continues but not without some interesting twists. I think that you can clearly see the progress that the men are making.
The twists came in three different phases this past week, one when the contractor asked to re-do the estimates for the work because the prices of materials have gone up, and the second when he wanted to stop the work until the prices go down. On the surface one could almost laugh at these requests but they were very real and very serious.
The third twist came when the contractor wanted to stop the work because there is no cement available in Yako. He can get it in Ouagadougou, the capital, but the price is higher plus he would need to pay transportation costs to bring it to Yako.
After much negotiating and with the help of our technical advisor on the building, the contractor did agree to continue the work as agreed in our contract.
If the men continue to work at the pace that they have been working at, our clinic will be finished towards the first of June. Please pray that our contractor will remain steady and finish the work as agreed in the contract. The contract is a legal and binding contract but because of the weaknesses in the legal system here, taking the contractor to court would only be a last, last option.
Construction Update
The work on the clinic continues but not without some interesting twists. I think that you can clearly see the progress that the men are making.
The twists came in three different phases this past week, one when the contractor asked to re-do the estimates for the work because the prices of materials have gone up, and the second when he wanted to stop the work until the prices go down. On the surface one could almost laugh at these requests but they were very real and very serious.
The third twist came when the contractor wanted to stop the work because there is no cement available in Yako. He can get it in Ouagadougou, the capital, but the price is higher plus he would need to pay transportation costs to bring it to Yako.
After much negotiating and with the help of our technical advisor on the building, the contractor did agree to continue the work as agreed in our contract.
If the men continue to work at the pace that they have been working at, our clinic will be finished towards the first of June. Please pray that our contractor will remain steady and finish the work as agreed in the contract. The contract is a legal and binding contract but because of the weaknesses in the legal system here, taking the contractor to court would only be a last, last option.
Our orphanage nurses at work.
Another Adoption!!
One of our little ones, Ferdinand, has been approved for adoption and a lovely Burkinabé couple who live in Ouaga have been approved to adopt him. Ferdinand was abandoned by his mother when he was about 2 years old and she has not been seen or heard from since. The woman caring for Ferdinand often sent him into the market area to beg for food and Social Action picked him up and brought him to us because he was sleeping at the bus station.
Ferdinand is in the first grade this year at our primary school and as soon as school is out for the year, he will move into the home of his new parents.
The Truck
Again this week we had repair issues with the truck. A small oil leak turned into a problem with the brakes and then a problem with the alternator. For sure, I am not a mechanic, but when these things happen I feel very insecure regarding the ability of my local mechanic. :o)
After going back to the mechanic 6 times, and after sending him to Ouaga to get a part, the truck was running again and this morning I called my mechanic here in Ouaga to come and check out everything in the motor. He talked with the mechanic in Yako and after making another minor change said that the truck was again in good running order.
Please pray with us for a new vehicle. The truck can continue to serve us well for general hauling in and around Yako but more and more we are feeling the need for a more dependable vehicle for travel between Yako and Ouaga and Yako and Ouayaghuia.
School Updates
The school year is winding down here. Many of our secondary students have already finished their final exams and next week will be the exams for the last school. Everyone is still anxiously awaiting their final scores.
The final exams for our primary school will also be this next week. After the grades are all totaled and averaged, school will be over for all except the sixth graders who will continue to study and to prepare for the CEP. The schools have arranged 2 pre-tests for the sixth graders to help them prepare for the exam and in the second round of these tests, our school ranked 3rd in the community in the children’s scores. This is the first year for our school to have children taking this exam so we are very proud of our teachers and of our children’s work.
Little Teebnoma
Wanted to end with a ‘Teebnoma update’ and this photo of Teebnoma. Teebnoma was taken away from her mother by Social Action because the mother was trying to kill her. She came to the orphanage about 8 weeks ago, was sick and malnourished and unable to walk. Teebnoma has stolen the heart of each of our workers. She is about 18 months old and this week she started walking.
Love and blessings to you!
Ruth. . . Mom. . . Grandma
1 comment:
I love to read the updates and see pictures of what is going on at the orphanage. Thank you for taking the time to update the blog. I'll be sending friends and co-workers to read about the projects' progress.
Love, Amy
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