Overview
The Chinderi Seventh Day Adventist Junior High School (SDA JHS) now serves the seventh through ninth grade students of the community of Chinderi in the Krachi Nachumuru district of Ghana. The facility serves 180 students and includes six classrooms and a library, as well as a latrine facility and wash station. The design allows for future growth in attendance at the school. The project design was engineered by a UW-Platteville Civil Engineering senior design team, and the main school building is a long rectangle with the latrines in a separate structure.
Implementation
In January 2018 a team of UW-Platteville EWB students traveled to Chinderi, Ghana to meet with community members and assess the feasibility of building a school. It was determined that the Chindiri community met the requirements necessary to partner with UW-Platteville EWB. The former junior high school did not provide sufficient shelter from the rain storms common during the wet season. Therefore, class was often canceled or delayed which put the students at an educational disadvantage to their peers when taking the national exams each spring. Additionally, it did not have enough space to serve all the junior high students. The goal of the new SDA JHS is to eliminate the cancellation of school due to rain, increase the school’s capacity for secondary students, and provide adequate supplemental facilities to accommodate future growth. In the spring of 2018 the design for the new junior high school was completed by a senior design team. The initial design allows for the project to be completed over four phases.
Phase One: Complete
Phase one of construction of the Chinderi SDA JHS began in January 2019. UW-Platteville EWB sent a travel team to Chinderi for two weeks. The travel team consisted of seven students and two travel mentors, Nick Confer and Bob Christen. A team of local volunteers also assisted with construction. The goal of phase one was to prepare the project site for construction and complete the foundation construction for the SDA JHS. The following steps were included in phase one:
Phase Two: Complete
Phase two of construction was completed during August 2019. The UW-Platteville travel team spent three weeks on site assisting with construction. The travel team consisted of two students, travel mentor Bob Steckel, and the chapter advisor Dr. Samuel Owusu-Ababio. Local volunteers and masons assisted with construction as well. The goal of phase two was to complete the walls of the SDA JHS and prepare the water tank pads. The following steps were completed during phase two:
Phase Three: Complete
Phase three was completed in January 2020. UW-Platteville EWB finished the construction, with only a few finishing touches left to be completed in phase four. There was not enough time to plaster and paint while the team was there, but it was completed by the community of Chinderi, who started to utilize the building for classes. The community plans to enroll 150 students for junior high-level schooling. The travel team consisted of 8 students, professional engineer Mark Rapant, and Dr. Samuel Owusu-Ababio. The following steps were completed during phase three:
Phase Four: Complete
Phase four was completed in January 2023. This phase was scheduled to be completed in August of 2020, but with the unforeseen travel bans due to COVID-19, this phase was tabled until Ghana opened international travel back up. UW-Platteville EWB held a virtual check-in with some community leaders of Chinderi to install the finishing touches and answer any questions they had. In January 2023, the chapter sent a travel team to the school to officially close out the project and create a maintenance plan for the school. The travel team consisted of six students, Dr. Austin Polebitski, and chapter advisor Dr. Samuel Owusu-Ababio.
The Chinderi Seventh Day Adventist Junior High School (SDA JHS) now serves the seventh through ninth grade students of the community of Chinderi in the Krachi Nachumuru district of Ghana. The facility serves 180 students and includes six classrooms and a library, as well as a latrine facility and wash station. The design allows for future growth in attendance at the school. The project design was engineered by a UW-Platteville Civil Engineering senior design team, and the main school building is a long rectangle with the latrines in a separate structure.
Implementation
In January 2018 a team of UW-Platteville EWB students traveled to Chinderi, Ghana to meet with community members and assess the feasibility of building a school. It was determined that the Chindiri community met the requirements necessary to partner with UW-Platteville EWB. The former junior high school did not provide sufficient shelter from the rain storms common during the wet season. Therefore, class was often canceled or delayed which put the students at an educational disadvantage to their peers when taking the national exams each spring. Additionally, it did not have enough space to serve all the junior high students. The goal of the new SDA JHS is to eliminate the cancellation of school due to rain, increase the school’s capacity for secondary students, and provide adequate supplemental facilities to accommodate future growth. In the spring of 2018 the design for the new junior high school was completed by a senior design team. The initial design allows for the project to be completed over four phases.
Phase One: Complete
Phase one of construction of the Chinderi SDA JHS began in January 2019. UW-Platteville EWB sent a travel team to Chinderi for two weeks. The travel team consisted of seven students and two travel mentors, Nick Confer and Bob Christen. A team of local volunteers also assisted with construction. The goal of phase one was to prepare the project site for construction and complete the foundation construction for the SDA JHS. The following steps were included in phase one:
- Clearing and grading the site
- Excavate footings
- Place rebar and pour concrete footings
- Build foundation walls to surface level
- Place gravel base
- Mix and pour concrete slab floors
Phase Two: Complete
Phase two of construction was completed during August 2019. The UW-Platteville travel team spent three weeks on site assisting with construction. The travel team consisted of two students, travel mentor Bob Steckel, and the chapter advisor Dr. Samuel Owusu-Ababio. Local volunteers and masons assisted with construction as well. The goal of phase two was to complete the walls of the SDA JHS and prepare the water tank pads. The following steps were completed during phase two:
- Excavate and set framework for water tank pads
- Mix and pour concrete for tank pads
- Lay blocks for all walls
- Place U-blocks and rebar
- Pour bond beam
- Set J bolts
- Set lintel frameworks and place lintel rebar
Phase Three: Complete
Phase three was completed in January 2020. UW-Platteville EWB finished the construction, with only a few finishing touches left to be completed in phase four. There was not enough time to plaster and paint while the team was there, but it was completed by the community of Chinderi, who started to utilize the building for classes. The community plans to enroll 150 students for junior high-level schooling. The travel team consisted of 8 students, professional engineer Mark Rapant, and Dr. Samuel Owusu-Ababio. The following steps were completed during phase three:
- Construct the trusses of the building
- Place Trusses and purlins on the walls
- Install the metal roofing
- Install Fascia boards
Phase Four: Complete
Phase four was completed in January 2023. This phase was scheduled to be completed in August of 2020, but with the unforeseen travel bans due to COVID-19, this phase was tabled until Ghana opened international travel back up. UW-Platteville EWB held a virtual check-in with some community leaders of Chinderi to install the finishing touches and answer any questions they had. In January 2023, the chapter sent a travel team to the school to officially close out the project and create a maintenance plan for the school. The travel team consisted of six students, Dr. Austin Polebitski, and chapter advisor Dr. Samuel Owusu-Ababio.