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Blasting the stone
Blasting the stone
Shaping the stone
Shaping the stone
Cement arriving
Cement arriving
Work continues on the wall
Work continues on the wall
Walls completed
Walls completed
Doors installed
Doors installed
2 houses have been built – each provide accommodation for 2 teachers=
2 houses have been built – each provide accommodation for 2 teachers

The Building of the Teachers Accommodation 2013

We have received a detailed report from Dr Tenousse Saye about the building of the teachers accommodation in Téréli. An association of young people from the Dogon (AEERTPS), a small French Charity (Coup de Pouce) and BTFT worked together on this project. This is just a summary of the report which was kindly translated by Dorothy.

The school in Téréli has nine classes of elementary education – primary (6 classes) and secondary (3 classes) – known as the first and second cycles – but only seven teachers. With an average of 80 students in each class, this is obviously well below the standards set by the Minister for National Education. The problem was recruiting qualified teachers to a rural school where accommodation and facilities were poor.

It was this that prompted the AEERTPS to approach partners Coup de Pouce in Le Havre and the BTFT in Burley to support a project to build good accommodation for teachers. Plans were made to build two buildings, to house two teachers in each. The teachers have their own living room and their own bedroom but share the veranda. The houses are built in dressed stone, cemented and with a tin roof, in accordance with local Malian architecture.

With plans drawn up and agreed and funding given from Coup de Pouce and BTFT, work started in April 2013. The contract had been granted to professional builders for four months – with manual labour (eg. stone breaking, carrying gravel, sand and water) done by the people of the village and others from outside the village. With June, July & August away from the build to concentrate on the farming needs, the work on the houses restarted in September and was finished in November 2013.

Tenousse thanks the people of Burley and says ‘These homes are a source of great pride for the school in Téréli and enhance its image in respect to other schools.‘


Work continues inside
Work continues inside
Looking inside
Looking inside
Village Leaders and Management Committee
Village Leaders and Management Committee
Carrying the stone
Carrying the stone
Preparing foundations
Preparing foundations
Starting on the walls
Starting on the walls
Completed walls
Completed walls
Work starts on inside walls
Work starts on inside walls
Windows in place
Windows in place
Handover of keys
Handover of keys