Habitat for Humanity: Building Trip #2

My second building trip with the Habitat for Humanity club this year took place on the 8th of December. We travelled to Kangemi, an area close to ISK, to work on a school called Morningstar Youth Education Center. This was the first time that we went to a school for a Habitat trip, and was a big transition as we had always helped build houses on building trips. I was therefore eager to see what work we would be doing and how different it would be from the usual Habitat trips. We made it our mission to "transform" the school in 5 hours, and make it a more enjoyable environment for the many children who attend.

 Our main jobs were leveling the grounds of the school and painting and fixing the walls. I helped to paint and to fix one of the walls in a classroom. This was very different from the work I usually do on Habitat trips, as it did not involve mixing cement or laying foundations. Although it was not as tiring, painting the inside of the classrooms was difficult due to the fumes of the paint, which were almost unbearable. We had to take frequent breaks so as to breathe in some fresh air, and the painting therefore took a bit longer than we had expected. What I really enjoyed about this trip was the teamwork. Everyone pitched in and helped out, including Morningstar staff members and our bus driver. This sense of teamwork kept us all going for the 5 hours, and allowed us to make some great improvements to the school.
After 5 hours, we were ready to go home. The improvements that we had made at the school were very noticeable. The ground had become leveled, the walls were freshly painted and therefore much cleaner than before, and the rooms were brighter. The school looked much better than it did when we first arrived, but the work was not yet finished. We will therefore be returning to Morningstar for the next building trip, and will hopefully make the school even nicer.