Initiative Rising Star

Hopley, located on the outskirts of Zimbabwe‘s capital Harare, is a result of politically motivated forced resettlements, known as Operation Murambatsvina, and was established in 2005. Through an initiative of the residents of Hopley, the Rising Star School was founded in 2010. The children are thereby able to attend school.

The curriculum at the primary school (grades 1-7) is taking place under the most primitive conditions. Adequate protection in the rainy season and a proper sanitation regulation do not exist.

For this reason we support the Rising Star School with the construction of a school building, so that teaching is possible all year round. In the long term, structures are to be built which can accommodate up to 800 students.

With the support of our project partner, the Vision & Hope Foundation, the students, teachers and parents, a modular and adaptable concept has been developed. This concept includes both classrooms and administration buildings.

The school is built with brick masonry which guarantees protection against overheating as well as emits a feeling of security and safety for the students. By constructing (round) arches the needed spans for classroom can be realized. Brick masonry is a common and widely used construction material in Zimbabwe and the usage of expensive construction timber and concrete can be reduced.

In a first construction phase, two classrooms with an access corridor in front are going to be built. The corridor serves as a front zone for the classrooms but also as a sun protected area for the future students. The school can be expanded gradually by the residents of Hopley, so that after seven construction phases all 14 planned classrooms and the administration area can be realized.

The construction furthermore enables a double roof with a ventilation layer. Therefore, the heat beneath the upper roof layer can be directed to the outside by ventilation. With this natural ventilation system the rooms stay comfortably cool.