NKUNINKANA CLASSROOMS AND STAFF HOUSE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT

1. Introduction

Nkuninkana is amongst eight villages in the Puma ward,?in Ihanja Division of the Singida District Council. Nkuninkana is located about 38kms south east of Singida. The village is bordering with Musambu village in the west (VA volunteers worked in Musambu in 2005), Kipumbuiko in the south, Dung?unyi in the east, Wibia in North east and with Puma in the North.

2. Village Population and Administration

The village has a total of 430 households and 4 sub villages with a total population of the 2,580 with the?following distribution: - 1280 male and 1280 female. Of these 395 are below the age of 5 years. The main ethnic group in the village is Wanyaturu.

Administratively, the village is divided in 4 sub-villages, namely;

• Muungano
• Maina
• Nkuninkana
• Khungu

?

3. Occupations

About 95% of the inhabitants work in?agriculture and livestock keeping and the?remaining population are involved in other activities like small businesses and other non farming activities. Crops are grown both for local consumption i.e. maize, sorghum, bulrush, sweet potatoes and cassava and beans (these are subsistence crops) and for sale i.e. sunflower, sugar cane and finger millet (cash crops) Gardening is also undertaken on a small scale. Sweet potatoes are exported?to other regions mainly Dodoma where they fetch a?good price. The arid and sandy soils challenge the sustainability of agricultural production and results in a lack of reliable of agricultural produce.

Agriculture is followed by livestock keeping and animals that are kept in the village include: - 782 cows, 1336 goats, 470 sheep, and 9 donkeys. The poultry are the local breeds.

Other sources of income are from the sales of wood products, sale of local brew (home made beer), and a milling machine (for milling other villager's maize). There are also small groups of youth and women who are earning income by selling aggregates. The challenge for this employment is that?the?villagers?use primitive equipment for breaking rocks into aggregates.

The village lies in a semi arid area with annual average rainfall of around 600 mm. The average temperature is 21.5C. The soil is predominantly sandy with some patches of loam and black cotton clay soil. The village has a good valley, which allows?small scale irrigation if the irrigation facilities?are improved. In this valley?small scale?gardening and sugar cane farming?are taking place. The village is endowed with rocks.

4. Social Services

The village?has some services?including a?primary school of 16 streams with a total of 628 school children whose 298 are girls and 330 are boys. The school currently has a total of 8 classrooms out of the 16 that are required, thus?a shortage of 8 classrooms. The school has a shortage of 15 desks, 15 tables, 9 cupboards and 15 chairs for teachers. There is a government directive that requires the community to reduce the?school furniture shortage by making furniture. Books availability in the school is average to good with a ratio of 1:2 i.e. two pupils share one book in all subjects with exceptional of social science and vocational study books where the ratio is1:4 and 1:5 i.e. four and five pupils share one book respectively.

A total of 16 teacher's houses are needed but currently the school has only 2 permanent and 6 temporary houses. (Note: Government workers i.e. teachers, health staff, etc. who are assigned to villages are usually provided with housing. A lack of suitable housing can make it very difficult for the authorities to persuade good staff to work in areas that are often very remote.)

4.1 Water

The village has a total of 6 shallow wells but only two?are functioning and the?remaining four dried up due to prolonged drought in the area and in district as a whole. The challenge facing the village in?relation to?water is an insufficient and uneven distribution of wells/water sources. The improved shallow wells, with the?exception of one shallow well, do dry out?in the?dry season all at the same time?particularly from mid September up to the beginning of rains which in good year is late October or early November. Also the village (as in most of villages in Singida region) lack knowledge on tapping /harvesting rain water techniques. This year is different in that not enough rains this year. The rain that has rained so far are very little to extent has not even filled the traditional pond and springs with water as usual.

4.2 Health

The village is served by a Missionary Hospital based in Puma the ward headquarters, which is about 9 kilometres from the centre of the village. This is a new hospital and it was inaugurated by the Tanzanian?President Hon Benjamin William Mkapa January last year.

The community is faced with problems of walking long distances?to health service particularly pregnant women and children under fives, low knowledge in health education and particular practice poor hygiene and sanitation actions.

The village is crossed nearby by a Singida -?Dodoma- Dar Es Salaam road, which is currently under construction.

5. The Village Project Priorities

HAPA carried a PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) in the village in 2003 and according to the PRA process the villagers' ranked school ? construction of classrooms followed by the teachers' houses followed by water and dispensary as priorities.

Following the exercise, HAPA was able through EDF (European Development Fund) to support the village in construction of two classrooms, one teacher's office, 46 desks, 2 cupboards at the teacher's office 15 tables and chairs.

6. THE 2006 HAPA SUPPORT

In 2006 HAPA?will support the community of Nkuninkana with provision of building materials for completion of two classrooms and for construction of two new teachers? houses, school desks and furniture for the?teacher?s office. The project will be implemented?from?April to December 2006.

HAPA will support the community providing?technical and management support in?the project implementation and?during the execution of the project. This involves training of village masons, carpenter and village project committees in organisational and management issues relevant for project implementation.

The community contribution in this project will include volunteered labour from villagers during the implementation processes, collection of local available materials such sand, rocks and aggregates, raising fund to pay village masons and carpenters.

7. Costs for Project Components

Suppling the building materials for completion the construction two classrooms.?
Making of 46 school desks and 6 tables and chairs for teachers
Suppling the building materials for construction of two teachers? houses.

The total project cost for this component is estimated to cost TSh25,369,210 with following breakdown:-

Cost for two teachers houses:
Cost for building materials 10,974,900/=
Cost for transportation of materials and for supervision 2,830,000/=
Total cost for one block of two staff houses 13,804,900/=

Cost of building materials for two classrooms.
Cost for building materials 8,944,310/=
Cost for transportation of materials and for supervision 2,620,000/=
Total cost for completion of 2 Classrooms 11,564,310

Sub total for school project 25,369,210

Add 7,500,000/= the money that was not used for water project in Musambu. This will be used to rehabilitate two classrooms in Musambu village instead of construction of medium depth bore hole as it was originally planned. This make a total of? 32,869,210/= Tshs??for the?school projects.????

The project is expected to run from May to November 2006. The project will start with the completion the construction of two classrooms. It is estimated to take one and half months from May and it will be followed by the construction of two classrooms.

8. Expected Outcomes

The education service, which is accessed by most of the village children, and the quality of education will be improved.? In addition the community technical and management skills?will improve.

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