Meldura, one of the nine childrens' houses in Kamuzinda, is in poor condition and somewhat isolated from the rest, making it difficult
for the children, especially young ones, to participate fully in village activities. When we considered building a replacement, Uncle Paul
offered a site close to the two mission houses, between the teachers' houses and the neighbouring Danish pig farm.
When we arrived they had cleared the site and dug the foundation trenches and the pit for the latrine, and the first few loads of bricks had
been delivered. As you can see in the photos, bricks are quite variable, as brick making is a cottage industry, with anyone that wants to make some
making their own mould.
The design was for a main house, with three bedrooms, a living room and some stores, with a separate kitchen and a separate toilet/washroom. We hoped to get all roofed
in the the two weeks, but with various delays we only got the toilets and kitchen to wall-plate level, with roof trusses and some sheeting on the main house. Sam, a local
builder, is finishing the roofing, and we will add more pictures as various stages are completed.
An interesting feature of the local building style is a re-inforced concrete ring beam at the wall plate level, tieing the walls, otherwise just a thin brick leaf, together.
