Ricatla Project

Ricatla Refurbish Project

We are pleased with the approval of the Ricatla project.  These are sweet people who have worked to build another building to match the government built building but have been discouraged in the lack of ability to stay motivated.  More dedicated donations were needed to continue what they had started.

Our objective was to help teach Welfare Principles and build hope and faith back into the group.  Today was some great progress toward that goal.

With only one week delay, we all met at the school site.  Our contractor, Aurelio, had been out the previous week putting on metal doors and bars on the windows securing the rooms for desks we will donate.  He was here this day painting the metal doors.  The desk refurbishing group was here this day. Our donation of 30 desks adds to the existing desk count. The donation will proceed when the old desks have been refurbished by the community.   And the community volunteers were here this day to start again on the foundation of the new building.  They have gone ahead and started with what they now have knowing what they have will only build one of the three rooms they hope to build.  Never the less, hope has been restored.

There were 40 volunteers out of parents from 1000 students.  The school officials had organized the volunteers into groups that were to attend the work schedule on a particular Saturday each month.  That accounting took place with roll call.  (Similar to being assigned a Saturday to clean the chapel)

Elder Petersen was visiting with the desk refurbish group.  He asked them how their children will treat these desks their parents have refurbished. These parents responded that their students had better treat these desks nice or the children will get thumped by their parents.

We delivered a box of educational materials we said we would donate.  They were glad to receive them.

Besides water brought by the women, the women cooked lunch for the working men out under a tree.  Everyone had a job and they fulfilled it very well.

Ricatla expects to have the first classroom finished in two months and hoping to have collections for the other two classroom constructions by then.

We hope the refurbishing of the existing classrooms, new desks, doors, windows, and electricity, will help build faith in this good group of Ricatla people so they can see their way to donating of their time, money, and things to the building of the rest of the classrooms the foundation is set for.  There are still 8 classes held under the trees without the new construction.  These new classrooms will allow every child a classroom to meet in.

A maintenance plan is in place to keep the school nice for a long time.  We will be here another year to see that maintenance plan in effect.