Hi all, welcome back to Friends of Pakati!
Today’s blog is the first of a 3-part feature on the story of getting a regular electricity supply to the Administration Block at Pakati Secondary school.
Below are the photos & information provided to me by the school Head, Mr Chizenya, starting with the following message:
“We are facing some setbacks in transferring electricity temporarily to our library. We actually need a 3 core electric cable and not a solar power cable. Unfortunately we have a cable for solar power and so when we tried, the computers did not power up. However at the moment we are not able to purchase a 3 core cable because at the moment we need to meet public examinations expenses and as you know only a few people do pay levies this term. I know it’s frustrating that you donated the computers but they are not yet working. However, we are planning to prioritize the connection of ZESA electricity to the admin block next term, we are going to budget for that.”
In 2023 Pakati Secondary successfully converted a regular classroom into a library.
The library has shelves for reading materials and the ICT section.
Mr Walker and the Friends of Pakati donated 4 desktop computers in 2019 and 11 in 2024, and so in all, the library has 15 sets of desktop computers.
The library is connected to the Administration block.
The school’s admin block and the visible cable above connects the library and one classroom to the admin block.
The Administration block’s current source of electricity is solar.The Administration block’s current source of electricity is solar.
However, the solar system is now old and no longer efficient. In 2020, Mr Walker and the friends of Pakati donated new batteries, 2 new solar panels, and an invetor. Although efficiency was improved, this did not last long because the system is old and requires refurbishing.
Fortunately, the administration block is currently being connected to ZESA electricity. However, due to financial constraints, we are struggling to complete the project
The meter box is incomplete.
The Administration block is not yet connected to the nearby pole.
With the current state of affairs, we are not able to use computers because the solar system is not working well, and we are failing to complete ZESA project. We require $500 USD for the completion of ZESA project.”
So, as a result of all the above, I looked at the financial situation & how much money was in the bank account, plus I discussed it with key supporters to see what could be done.
Part 2 is what happened next – organising the transfer of funds, donations, getting the money to the school, and authorisation by the District Administration in Murewa.
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