Rising Star School – Sanitary facilities in Hopley
PARTNER
Rising Star Primary School Hopley
Vision & Hope Foundation Harare
Engineers Without Borders Germany
LOCATION
Hopley, Harare, Zimbabwe
COMMUNITY
Students, teachers, and administrative staff at the primary school in Hopley
PHASE
DURATION
2023 – 2025
ARCHITECTURE
The project was implemented by Engineers Without Borders Germany. Further information on the architecture of the award-winning Rising Star Primary School, their sanitary facilities and the doctoral research activities of our founder Kristina Ziadeh.
According to your contribution, we are now fully having protection and guidance, which is our access to a life of abundance to our children. It is an asset of inestimable value in the rest of life. I will say once again, thank you very much to all who stretched their hands to the construction of this school.
The Rising Star School is located on the outskirts of Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. The Hopley neighbourhood is characterised by informal housing structures. An estimated 200,000 people live in Hopley, but it lacks basic urban infrastructure such as electricity, running water, and sanitation systems. In the heart of this densely populated settlement, the primary school serves as a hub for the community, functioning not only as a school during regular school hours but also as a gathering place for residents.
The school building was constructed jointly by the school administration, the Vision & Hope Foundation, and Engineers Without Borders Germany. After seven construction phases, it was completed and handed over in March 2023.
In addition to the classrooms and administrative rooms, a sanitary building with toilets for girls and boys as well as teachers was also built with the same partners. As with the school, exposed brickwork and round arches create a sense of belonging and identity. The construction team, which has been working together since the start of the primary school building project in 2016, once again did an excellent job and completed the new sanitary facilities as planned. Together with the existing sanitary buildings erected by the school administration, the Rising Star School now provides the required number of sanitary units, which are also recognised by the local authorities. These have been extended with safe spaces for the girls and boys at the school for personal hygiene and as changing rooms for everyday school life. This makes it possible for schoolgirls and young women in particular to attend school even during their menstrual phases.
Our founder, Kristina Ziadeh, oversaw the project and construction management for both, the primary school and sanitary projects, on behalf of Engineers Without Borders.