A New Gym Coming to RFIS | The Ziegelbaurs

There’s a new construction project at Rain Forest International School — A covered athletic facility! Where this big green space once soaked up tons of rain, hosted carnival games, and gave students more places to run, a new gym is being built.

Big green space -- future site of the covered athletic facility — Big green space — future site of the covered athletic facility

The great big grassy field it will occupy soaks up tons of rain every year. So the first step in the construction began in July 2106 with drainage ditches for rain water to flow from the roof, down hill, down the road and into a creek.

The next step was to remove the grass from the grassy field the gym will occupy.

Scraping the grass off the field to be used elsewhere

All that beautiful grass can’t just be thrown away! So we used it to replant along the road when the drainage ditch was completed. Some of the grass was also given to Cameroonians and missionaries who asked for it — to use for landscaping of a school and home yards.

Then one day in November, before dry season hardened the ground, a bulldozer was hired to come level the ground. Ron and the foreman Johannes check the level. The rumbling sound of the big machine was heard on campus, and inspired a facebook photo album “Rumblings at RFIS” where you can go see updated photos.

Next step: hire a big bulldozer to level the ground

Before the construction work could get started they built a temporary tool shed to keep tools and equipment secure. We wouldn’t consider building anything of wood in Congo or CAR because of termites. In Cameroon we see this style of building often, in the city as well as in villages.

Next step: Build a tool shed, using the PE container as one of the walls.

Tool shed was completed in December, wired for electricity, and the concrete mixer set up nearby.

Want to see the plans for the athletic facility (gym)? They’re posted on the outside of the tool shed for convenience of workers and interested passers-by.