After a long hiatus, the dormitory renovation has begun again! Praise the Lord! Thanks to all who have made contributions through donation and prayers to this project! Without your generosity, this work could not be done.
The second dorm, called the girl's 'Hostel', is actually where the male students have been living for the past 4 years but before the war, it was the female residence. When I first arrived in Ganta in 2007, no students lived in the 'Hostel'. Then, the second year I was here, 8 students came and said they had found 2 rooms where the ceiling didn't leak and wanted permission to live there. They wanted to be close to the classrooms, library, and the hospital where they do their practice clinical for experience. I thought they were crazy! But they were determined and they were the beginning of others who braved the conditions! We were able to get some minor improvements while waiting for the day we could renovate the whole building - things such as basic electricity, and some more dry rooms.
Now, we are looking to a full face lift from top to bottom. The construction company started today taking the roof off. You see the first steps being made in the morning and then how much they accomplished by the end of the day. It is quite a lot of work done! The roof being removed is mostly the original asbestos tile! Repairs were done with zinc sheets. We pray for the workers' safety as they work in precarious positions and with dangerous materials.