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After our «Chef de maçon», Alfredo Dos Santos had laid a good foundation, he had to leave our employment. The quality of his work was flawless, but he was working on too many other building sites as well and couldn't meet our timeline with enough workers.

We decided to hand over the rest of the masonry work to a different crew, whom our technical manager had recommended. We are moving forward, actually upward very quickly since Monday 12 March. The working morale is good and at the end of the day, everybody is pleased with the results.

Within a week, the bricks for the walls were laid right up to the height of the windows. The new building is literally taking shape and everyone is enthusiastic. I really like the effect of the kindergarten's shape being a semicircle. It is exactly the way I intended it, when I asked for that specific layout of the rooms.

The general satisfaction of the crew is also helped along by the good lunches they are served. Mbasi, our cook, fixes up to ten tasty and plentiful lunches every day. The workers also very much enjoy the midmorning snack of "Tiyakéré diouro", rice cooked with ground peanuts and sugared generously, served in a huge bowl. The custom here dictates that the crew gets fed by the employer, especially if the workers come from another village.

Next week the foundation can get poured and the armoring iron over the windows and doors can get cast in as well. It is a pleasure to watch the progress.We are now confident that we will be able to keep our timeline despite the initial delay.

With satisfied greetings,

Marielle Furter