WEST MIDLANDS
The EFOD West Midlands branch was formed in 2008 and is made up of young construction professionals hailing from both design and construction firms across Birmingham.
Each individual brings their own unique approach to the solution of a problem and together we are trying to make the world a more accessible place
Introducing Give a Child a Hope
EFOD WM were approached by a British charity, Give a Child a Hope, to design, build, finance and supervise the construction of a Maize mill and warehouse in Matugga, Uganda which would be for the benefit of the Revival Centre (RC).
The RC, run by Bishop Ivan, was founded in the year 2000 originally as a school. Since then, the RC has undergone significant transformation and boasts: a primary and secondary school (including boarding), a clinic, a church and a nursery all for the benfit of the local population.
The RC has also purchased land on which to grow crops and the idea of the maize mill and warehouse is to allow the RC to generate its own income thus reducing dependency on third party funding to maintain its varius programmes.
The maize mill and warehouse is intended to help local farmers within the community, unattached to the RC, providing them with a safe space to store raw crops.
Maize Mill and Warehouse, Matuga
The land purchase for the construction was on a very steep embankment with a 1 in 6 fall and was adjacent to a local stream. This lead to in increase in design workload with a requirement for a retaining wall and culvert as part of the sites enabling works.
As the site is located in an urban area a lengthy planning process was followed to gain approval from the local planning authority.
Project Progress
In 2019, the West Midlands team flew out to Ugnada to oversee the construction of the enabling works for the structures.
The heavy vegetation was cleared and ara of the proposed works was levelled with construction of the reataining wall using gabion baskets.
Drainage channels were constucted along the site perimeter using local construction practices.
A culvert and the site foundations were constructed using a local contractors.
The team will be returning when COVID allows to oversee construction of the building superstructure and roof
REGION LEAD
ZAK RAJA
Zak is a civil engineer who's career has taken him far and wide. He's worked in French Guiana, Uganda and Australia before returning to the UK to his current role at J Murphy & Sons. He has experience in a variety of sectors from social housing to water treatment and currently works in rail.
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We rely on the generosity of individuals and organisations to deliver this transformative project.
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We work with firms to promote engineering in the UK and develop young construction professionals through training and events.
We are always interested in partnering with new firms.
We always welcome eager construction professionals to join the team and help us design, fundraise and oversee construction in Uganda.
Experience in engineering, construction and fundraising are all invaluable attributes to this project.