BRICK BY BRICK CONSTRUCTION FINISHES THE UMEA KITCHEN

The Masons were very much excited to see that they managed to finish the UMEA Kitchen in Kalisizo primary school within three weeks. As soon as they had finished, they were surprised to see me coming with new green uniforms instead of the orange ones they were used to.

Surprisingly they dressed up and posed for a photo.

Although Brick by Brick is famous for constructing low priced, long lasting, and environmentally friendly water tanks it constructs beautiful buildings using Interlocking Stabilized  Soil bricks (ISSBs). Take a look at the new three-roomed Kitchen.

BRICK BY BRICK CONSTRUCTION COMPANY IN FORT PORTAL, UGANDA

For the last three weeks "Brick by Brick Construction Company" has been in Fort Portal constructing two 10,000 liter water tanks for "Virika School of Nursing", and training the students and staff of St. Josephs Technical Institute in ISSB technology.

The students learned about making the ISSB Bricks, the construction skills needed to build rainwater tanks, and the maintenance  of the water tanks.

Surprisingly, they also made a new Brick Press with the help of their Instructor Brother William, which they can use for future projects.

It is interesting to see that they learned what they paid for (brick-making and tank construction) and even what they didn't pay for (fabrication of the brick press), yet it was the greatest achievement.

Brother William an Instructor in St. Josephs Technical Institute showing the new press

Mobile Masons

Over the past several months, Brick by Brick Construction has worked on projects all across Uganda.  In addition to our work within and around Kalisizo, construction projects have also been completed in Kichwamba (southwest), Arua (northwest), Bukomansimbi (south-central), and Kumi (east).  This geographical spread would not be possible without our dedicated team of masons, who are willing and eager to travel to these distant sites, many of which are several hours away.  Just last week, after finishing two 30,000 liter water tanks at Ngora Catholic Parish in Kumi District, the masons immediately proceeded to Fort Portal, on the other side of the country, to begin construction of two 10,000 liter tanks for the Virika School of Nursing.  Our Program Coordinator, Max Ssenyonga, is also in Fort Portal right now, helping to ensure that this work, funded through a United States Peace Corps grant written by Jeanne Hodaian, is progressing smoothly. Many thanks to Max, who works tirelessly to secure and coordinate these projects, and to our group of devoted and committed masons, who make the projects a reality!

Brick by Brick Construction Featured in Today's Daily Monitor

Brick by Brick Construction Company's innovative model is featured in today's Daily Monitor. Uganda's Largest independent daily newspaper.

http://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/Farming/A-low-cost-water-tank/-/689860/1852274/-/bvllc0z/-/index.html

Brick by Brick Executive Director Meets with Students at Ryan Middle School

Since 2004, the students of Ryan Middle School have been partners with Brick by Brick in transforming Kirumba Primary School in the Rakai District of Uganda. Each year students in Ms. Joanna Koenig's Earth Science classes staff the annual school-wide Earth Day Fair. The proceeds of this event have rebuilt Kirumba Primary School. For the past two years Brick by Brick Executive Director, Marc Sklar has met with these students. This year we discussed the work that Brick by Brick is doing to provide safe, clean drinking water to communities throughout Uganda. In each of the five classes, Ryan students were challenged to think about the tragic consequences of lack of access to clean water. Every year 1.5 million children under the age of five die from water-bourne disease.

Together Brick by Brick and the students of Ryan Middle School are working to address this critical problem.

2nd Annual Blues Night: What a Night!!

Over 100 of Brick by Brick's community of partners danced the night away, celebrating our 10th anniversary. Co-founder Michael Greene was the surprise guest of honor, as Executive Director Marc Sklar spoke of his decade of service for the children of Uganda. R & B singer Booby Hardin shook the Prospect Park Picnic House to its core and had most of our guests showing off their best dancing moves.

While great music, good food and friendship were the main themes of the evening, Brick by Brick's mission of innovative service was also front and center, as our Board Chair Adam Rabinovitch thanked our guests for their commitment, while inviting them to expand their partnership with numerous volunteer opportunities.

By Friday morning we were already beginning work on next year's Blues Night, stay tuned!!

Celebrate Our 10th Anniversary at Brick by Brick's 2nd Annual Blues Night Fundraiser

Support Brick by Brick by purchasing tickets today!

Brick by Brick's 2nd Annual Blues Night!

Thursday, April 25, 2013 6:30pm - 10:30pm Prospect Park Picnic House 95 Prospect Park West Brooklyn, NY 11215 (Click here for directions)

Come enjoy a Night of Smokin Blues, BBQ and Drinks all to further our Mission to improve the lives and futures of children in Uganda by supporting the delivery of quality education, improving the physical infrastructure of school communities and encouraging sustainable economic development; and to help US schoolchildren see that their actions can have a positive impact upon the world.

with LIVE MUSIC from

The Bobby Kyle Band with Joel Perry and Special Guests

For More Information on Tickets and Sponsorships Click here

March 22nd is UN World Water Day!

Today is World Water Day! "Water holds the key to sustainable development, we must work together to protect and carefully manage this fragile, finite resource"- Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Help provide clean water for Uganda's children: attend our 2nd Annual Blues Night Fundraiser on April 25th at the Prospect Park Picnic House: Check out this brief video on Facebook and learn how Brick by Brick is addressing the pressing need for clean water.

BRICK BY BRICK CONSTRUCTION IN ARUA

With funding from USAID and the US Peace Corps, Peace Corps Volunteer Marcy Macaulay was able to organize the construction of three 30,000 liter rain water tanks at Arua School of Comprehensive Nursing.Masons from Brick by Brick Construction travelled to Arua, a journey of almost 800 km from Kalisizo, to train students from Mvara Vocational Training School in ISSB construction. It is interesting that, during the training, the girl student Leah Tiko took the lead. But all the students were interested in this Brick-Making Technology and were active.

GREAT ACHIEVEMENT FOR BRICK BY BRICK

Congratulations! Brick by Brick has purchased a vehicle, using some of the profits from Brick by Brick Construction's work, which will help in the implementation of the Organization's activities. This vehicle is a Toyota Probox, and it will be used to visit Brick by Brick schools and to monitor Brick by Brick Construction's projects. It can also transport several of our masons and our brick presses to project sites.

Aspiring Africa: Investing in the Future

Here in the U.S., the the view of Africa we receive from the mainstream media is filled with images of starvation, war and persistent poverty. While progress on many fronts has been painstakingly slow, we at Brick by Brick know first hand that there is another story to tell. Working with our many partnering communities, we are meeting the challenge of building a better future by investing in our greatest asset, the people of Uganda. Check out this article in the March 2nd issue of The Economist to get a more realistic and optimistic take on Africa's future.

MY PAD: Empowering Girls' Education

In the fall of 2012 Brick by Brick performed a needs assessment in three primary schools, asking 139 menstruating girls about their experiences. We found that 34%  the girls surveyed missed on average 3.3 days per month due to their menstrual periods. 43% reported pain as the cause of their absences, while 28% cited fear of blood soaking through their clothes, and 13% stated the reason was the lack of a private place to change their pads or cloths. Many girls lack affordable products to support their menstrual health. Almost all the girls told us they would welcome more information about their reproductive health. In the next 6 months, Brick by Brick will launch the My Pad Program to address this pressing need. We have assembled an international team who, with significant input from local communities, will design a program that  will sustainably fabricate and provide Re-useable Menstrual Pads for girls in need. In addition, the My Pad Program will educate girls and boys about basic reproductive health, encouraging informed healthy choices as our students grow to become young women and men. With an initial investment and support from Brick by Brick, we intend to launch programs that will continue without our direct involvement.

If you would like to invest in girls receiving an uninterrupted education please click here

SAVE THE DATE~April 25th 2nd Annual Brick by Brick Blues Night Fundraiser

Save the Date to Celebrate Our 10th Anniversary

2nd Annual Blues Night Fundraiser with the

Bobby Kyle Blues Band and special guests

Thursday April 25th

6:30pm - 10:30pm at the Prospect Park Picnic House

A New Firewood-Saving Stove in St. Andrews Matale Primary School

The School Administration, the parents, the teachers, the students, and the cooks are all rejoicing after the construction of a new firewood saving stove known as a "rocket stove". This stove doesn't only save firewood but also time for food preparation. Better still, there is no smoke in the kitchen. So everyone is very grateful to the sister school, Hannah Senesh of US, who sponsored the construction. The construction has been done by Brick by Brick Construction's masons, who have experience in making rainwater harvesting tanks and other structures, and now they have acquired new skills in Rocket Stove construction.

Long live Hannah Senesh. Long live St. Andrews Matale Primary School.

Construction Complete at Kalisizo UMEA Primary School

With the installation of a rainwater catchment system consisting of one 10,000 L tank, one 20,000 L tank, and guttering at UMEA Primary School, Brick by Brick Construction significantly improved the school’s year-round access to clean, readily available water.  Previously, one onsite rainwater tank met about 15% to 30% of the school's annual water needs, depending on the specific rainfall and usage patterns in a given year.  After Brick by Brick Construction installed the rainwater catchment system, 85% to 100% of the school’s annual water needs were met. Students no longer have to miss class to walk an hour to fetch water from an open water source 4 km away from the school. In addition to providing an adequate supply of drinking water, this easily accessible water source contributes to improved hygiene and health practices within the school community. The school children now have a reliable source of water to wash their hands before going to pray at the mosque. The school community at UMEA would like to thank their sister school Kennedy-King Elementary School and Brick by Brick Partners for the contribution that made this project possible. Neyanziza!  

With the 20,000 L Rainwater Harvesting Tank at UMEA

Mr. Mayiga Vincent's Tank

“I’m the chairman of the Brick by Brick Board of Governors; I must have an ISSB water tank constructed at my home.”  He raised the money and Brick by Brick Construction built the 10,000 L tank for him. When it was finished he said, “I believe in this technology, let others come and learn from mine”.

He laughed and off he went.

With Mr. Mayiga and his tank

SAVE THE DATE THURSDAY APRIL 25TH, 2013 2ND ANNUAL BLUES NIGHT FUNDRAISER

On Thursday night, April 25th, the Prospect Park Picnic House will once again be the House of the Blues. Tickets for our 2nd Annual Blues Night Fundraiser featuring the Bobby Kyle Blues Band plus special guests will soon be available, so stay tuned!!

Clean Water Overflowing at Lwamaya Primary School

As the poet Robert Burns wrote, "The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry." After building a beautiful rain water harvesting tank at Lwamaya Primary School in the Lwengo District of Uganda, we discovered that there was a flaw in the roof of the school building, so that water was not being funneled to our tank. With the support of engineers at Matrix New World Engineering and architect Clay Miller of Bergen Street Studio, here in the U.S., our staff in Uganda was able to come up with a creative and low cost solution. The tank is now overflowing with clean, safe water for the over 300 students and teachers to use. 2013 is off to a great start!!

The Kitchen at St. Andrews

The St. Andrews Matale Hill school community was overjoyed with the construction of a new kitchen. Previously, the school’s cook had spent a long time working on the veranda of an old teacher’s house, because the old kitchen had fallen down after a heavy storm. The students of this school are also so happy that they will be getting lunch on time, since rains will no longer disturb the cook. The firewood, which was often stolen when it was kept outside, will also be safe, and a new, fuel-efficient cook stove will soon be installed, reducing the school’s need for firewood. The construction of this kitchen was supported through the generosity of the parents, students and teachers at their sister school, the Hannah Senesh Community Day School in Brooklyn, New York. Long live our sister school. Weebale nnyo!

An Eco-San Excursion

A couple of weeks ago, Griffin and I traveled up north to Pajule, a town about two and a half hours outside of Gulu. Erin Morrison, another Peace Corps volunteer who lives in this town, works with a women’s group, and a set of Eco-San (short for Ecological Sanitation) latrines are being installed at the women’s meeting center. Erin asked us to come up so that I could talk to the women about the latrines, explaining the benefits of using them, how they work, and how to operate them. Of course, the people in the north speak Acholi, which is completely different than Luganda. While I am certainly not fluent in Luganda, my knowledge of Acholi consists of about one word. Fortunately, one of Erin’s coworkers did a wonderful job translating for me. Eco-San latrines operate differently than the pit latrines that are commonly used throughout Uganda. Pit latrines are, essentially, deep pits in the ground, covered by a platform containing a relatively small hole. Human excrement goes through the hole and, over time, slowly fills the pit. Unfortunately, in some cases, groundwater can be contaminated by these deep pits, and, when a pit is full, another one must often be dug. Eco-San latrines provide one solution to both of these issues. In general, they are constructed completely above the ground, and the excrement falls into a sealed chamber, which can be emptied periodically. To ensure that the excrement is safe and free of pathogens when the chamber is emptied, materials like wood ash and sawdust are added every time the latrine is used. These materials help to create a dry, high pH environment that is hostile to many types of pathogenic organisms, and, after a certain period of time, the excrement can be removed safely.

Once the material is free of harmful organisms, it can be viewed as a resource instead of a waste product. Human excrement contains large amounts of several valuable nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, and it can be used very effectively as an agricultural fertilizer. Eco-San latrines, in addition to providing a safe and sustainable sanitation option, can also produce a valuable resource and contribute to improved food security. For all of these reasons, we are in the process of planning an Eco-San pilot project with some of our partner schools. We hope to work with each school to install and successfully operate a small number of these latrines, focusing especially on education and social acceptance of the technology within the community.

John talking with the women's group

Griffin, John, and the women in front of the Eco-San latrine (still under construction)