2012 is passing quickly, but Village Life Outreach Project’s fourth, and newest, committee isn’t letting that time slip away. After years of leadership by UC DAAP professor Michael Zaretsky, and significant accomplishments documented throughout this blog, it became clear that the work of the Roche Health Center is only part of a number of long term goals set by VLOP leadership. Based on this realization, the Building Committee was formed in January of this year. The committee will be responsible for all built works undertaken by VLOP, including research, architecture, construction, and evaluation.
Goals for 2012 include the design and construction of medical personnel housing that will allow the health center to provide medical care in this remote region a minimum of five days a week (it is currently operational twice a week), and construction of a new primary school in the village of Burere, designed and built in partnership with the University of Cincinnati Chapter of Engineers Without Borders (http://ewb-uc.org/projects/burere/). These two projects are led by subcommittee chairs Michael Zaretsky (Roche Health Center) and Tom Bible (Burere School), and maintain VLOP’s goals of social and environmental sustainability. Additional projects include a rainwater catchment system, ISSB research, continued evaluation of the Roche Health Center, and participation in the discourse of public interest design.
Village Life is committed to enriching the experiences of individuals and communities, both in Tanzania, and here in Cincinnati. The lessons learned through travel to unfamiliar places and working with communities in villages such as Roche, provides opportunities to grow both personally and professionally. We are excited that many students and professionals have participated in the Building Committee over the last three months, and are looking for ways to continue to involve the community. If you, or your firm, are interested in getting involved, the committee meets every second Monday of the month at 6:30 PM in Coffee Emporium’s Over the Rhine location (110 E. Central Parkway. Cincinnati, OH) or contact Village Life at contact@villagelifeoutreach.org.
Look for more blog posts – including images of our designs as they progress - coming soon!
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