A Self-Made Bamboo School in Monrovia

The Eamel International Resource Academy (EIRA) is a 'Junior Highschool' situated in a suburban community of Monrovia, Liberia lying in the middle between Robert's Field Airport (14 miles) and downtown Monrovia (11 miles). The School is easy to spot from the road as it sets oneself apart from other buildings due to its simple, functional building design using well treated bamboo reeds as wall panels.

With a clearly structured room layout the 56 by 20 feet long bamboo box includes 4 class rooms, 2 offices and a broad open front porch protecting the class room entries from heavy weather conditions. The class room furniture are simple wooden benches with attached tables and every class room has its own large blackboard. The roof is made by an orange tarp being supported by 4 timber purlins on each sloping side. The basic roof and general building structure consists of wooden sticks and 2x2 inch planks. The sliced bamboo reeds are attached to a wooden frame with enlarged nailheads. As enlargement collected crown caps are being used.

The school was being planned and executed by Pastor C. Blojay Ericson driven by the desperate search for teaching space for the children of the 'Embassy of Christ' Church within the ELWA community. The construction work of the bamboo-wood building lasted for 2 months in total starting in April 2008 and finishing in September 2008 but being interrupted by a shortage of money.

The project was broadly funded by students' parents and the church. The overall costs until now (pictures' date) went up to 700 USD and around another 3000 USD are needed for the completion of the building with 12 class rooms, floor finishing (sand plaster) and pupils' bathrooms.

The yearly maintainance costs are estimated to be around 200 USD per year (protective paint) for the up to date house size and go up to 450 USD for the completed version. The children who visit the school now (it looked like their are at school every day because almost all of them were there on my visits on Saturday and Sunday) helped carrying the bamboo reeds from the bush to the building site and were involved into the construction process when possible. For all other works 7 helpers were participating over the 2 months of building the school. The responsibles of the of the church community appreciate any kind of contact in the world or support to extend their existing infrastructure and general communal services in terms of education, health but also psychological and trauma treatment of kids suffering from consequences of the civil war.

Contact

Embassy of Christ

Pastor C. Blojay Ericson

Tel. [Liberia] +231-77038596

Email cbeambassador@yahoo.com

Project data sheet

Architect / Planer

Pst. C. Blojah Ericson

Project name

Eamel International Resource Academy (EIRA)

Junior Highschool

Date of construction

April - May / August - September 2008

Building purpose / layout

School with 4 classrooms, 1 Office, 1 Storage (+ small soccerfield)

Dimensions

16 x 56 feet (including front porch)

Building materials

Bamboo Reeds, Wooden Sticks (unprocessed), Timber Planks

Amount of workers

7 Persons (Kids helped on easy tasks)

Budget

~ 700 $

Maintenance costs

~ 250 $ / year (Paint)

Estimated durability

7 years