The Balanda Community Association, Inc. Programs
The Balanda people, whose homeland stretches from Western Equatoria state to Western Bahr Ghazal State in western South Sudan, do not have a single functional primary, intermediate, and secondary schools, hospital, or primary health care center in their communities. With the exception of few schools and primary health care centers, which were built by the Catholics and Protestants Missionaries at the beginning of the twentieth century and all of which closed in the 1950s due to civil war, no new schools and no new hospital and primary health care centers have been built in the Balanda. The complete absence of basic educational and health care infrastructures has produced the lowest literacy and life expectancy for the Balanda people in the Republic of South Sudan.The Balanda Community Association has three overarching strategic goals:
There are three major programs the Balanda Community Association has identified to accomplish the mission of the organization. They include: Education, Health, and Agriculture.
Education
The association has purchased land for the school project in Wau, South Sudan in March 2010 and has contracted with architectural firm Hangar-41 based in Denver, Colorado. In addition, the association has retained the services of the following firms as consultants for the school project:
Studio NYL, a Boulder, Colorado based structural engineering firm known for its national and international “exemplary” engineering design “skills”, will be responsible for all structural engineering services and deliverables required by the project scope.
M/E Engineers will be responsible for all electrical and mechanical/plumbing engineering services as defined by the project scope. They include lighting design, power, and data for all buildings to be constructed in Phase One of the school project.
Engineers Without Borders (EWB)-South Denver Professional Chapter, whose mission is to support community-based development programs worldwide by collaborating with local partners to design and implement sustainable engineering projects, will be responsible for providing an engineering master plan for self-contained sewage system and water delivery system to collect, store, purify, and deliver clean drinking potable water for the school.
The site assessment trip scheduled for March 2012 has been placed on hold temporarily due to political unrests and security concerns in the Republic of South Sudan. The security situation will be re-evaluated and the trip rescheduled in the fall of 2012. The goal is to begin the construction in November 2012.
Health
In the current architectural blueprints being developed for the school project, the association has included a plan for clinic to be built in phase two of the project. The clinic is an initial phase of the large health project, which the association plans to undertake once the school project is completed.
Agriculture
In the current architectural blue prints being developed for the school project, the association has included a plan for a greenhouse at the school to grow vegetables and fruit and sell them in the local market as the means to raise revenues for the school.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
The Balanda Community Association purchased land for the school project last year in Wau, South Sudan; written funding proposal for the school project; developed website for the association; registered in twelve states including Washington State in order to solicit funds online and organize fundraising events; launched online fundraising drive; and contracted with Hangar-41 architectural firm and Engineers Without Borders Denver documents for the project are due to be delivered in December 2011.Chapter to design and develop complete blueprints for the school project.
Construction
The association’s biggest need at this time is funding. The association needs to raise four hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($450,000.0) between now and October 2012 in order to begin phase one construction of the school project in November 2012, which will include six classrooms, an administration building, cafeteria, library, bookstore, a storage facility, and water tank..