Breaking Ground

So it's been an eventful week and a half since we broke ground for phase one of the Dream Center, the Health Center (Clinic). The workers are real champs, digging a foundation by hand under the African sun is as tough as it gets.

Trench dug with Spade and Hoe for Foundation of Health Center

By lunch they had almost finished the 300 foot perimeter at 3 feet deep, all with garden hoes and no shoes. Well they have shoes but they (we) don't wear them when excavating. The rest of the week was spent leveling the excavation and making the re-bar columns.

Pouring footings for corner columns

That is tricky, to bend the re-bar we have been using tree roots and ingenuity. I want to point out that not all construction in Africa is done this way. In the major cities things are just about up to par with western construction. However we are way way way out in the bush (country side). We made two hack saws out of re-bar, pictures coming soon.

Long side of Health Center foundation

Ants eye view of Foundation

Prayer requests:
-I'm currently running a fever which is not fun in 90 degree weather. I'm going for a malaria TEST this afternoon but I think I would be feeling a lot worse if that were the case.
-Discernment; people show up every day soliciting things; jobs, loans, pay increase, halting the project... Many are genuine, many are not. Distinguishing is a tough job.
-I have to leave the country by May 18th when my visa expires. I'll probably take a bus to one of the neighboring countries, suggestions?