End of Build Day 5

Two houses nearly finished. All exhausted but absolutely elated by what we have achieved. And so was the village - a noisy and tumultuous departure this evening and back to base for dancing and singing on the beach this evening. The children sang happy birthday to Mela which was wonderful for her and for us.

Can't say enough how well everyone has got on. No friction at all and a single shared purpose to do something for those with less than we have. And they have next to nothing. This morning we visited a couple of houses completed by previous teams. The occupants are really grateful but when showing us round it's clear they only have a few clothes, a bag of maize for grinding into flour and making nmasi and a mat to sleep on. That really is all they possess. But at least they have a safe, secure and dry house.

On house 1 the roof frame is on and roof sheets go on tomorrow morning. The team (except John) laid the floor. John disappeared to baby sit and look after Innocent for a couple of hours! On house 2 a magnificent change was made during the day and the roof frame was going on as we left. Everyone has worked really, really hard and the home team are amazed at our commitment and how much we have achieved.

A ladder appeared today! Up to now the total tools on site were a chisel, a level and a tape. The roofer added to this with a hammer and saw and, of course, a ladder. We have done a risk assessment and we think it's safe, but we will send a photo and would appreciate Tristram's view.

Last full day tomorrow. Nobody wants to come home.