Cyfle Building Skills and EFOD South West Wales Maternity Ward
Cyfle Building Skills/CITB Shared Apprentices have just returned from a charity project in Kachumbala, Uganda with memories to last a lifetime. Various trades from Cyfle Shared Apprentices have been helping to build a maternity ward with charity EFOD South West Wales, helping to make a difference to the people in Uganda. Putting their skills to good use, the CITB Shared Apprentices have assisted on site with the Bricklaying, Carpentry, Plastering, Plumbing and Electrical work on the project, purchasing products and supervision of the local people (40 workers per day). Whilst the Shared Apprentices were working in Kachumbala, there they have made friends with local youngsters who were also working on the project. On their last days working on the scheme the Cyfle/CITB Shared Apprentices would choose to donate most of their belongings (all tools and clothes) to the workers who assisted on the project. One of the quotes from Sam Shaw Bricklaying Shared Apprentice was: ‘This was a life changing experience for us all and we look forward to seeing the Maternity Ward completed at the end of the year, with new babies born in a first class facility which will support the local and wider communities.’ The Maternity Ward is now in its final phase and Cyfle Building Skills is hoping to send a group of current and ex CITB/Shared Apprentices out as a final snagging team to check on the progress and hopefully this will enable the handover of the Maternity Ward to take place in April/May 2017
Ugandan maternity ward built by CITB Cyfle Shared Apprentices Opens
A brand new African maternity Ward built by Cyfle Building Skills and CITB Welsh construction trainees will officially open to the community of Kachumbala, Uganda, on November 3 2017.
Since the project started in 2015, 25 CITB and Welsh Government-funded apprentices from Cyfle Building Skills have used their construction skills on the ward, a venture which will bring life-changing facilities to the local community.
Anthony Rees, Regional Manager at Cyfle Building Skills will officially hand over the maternity ward. He will be joined by to two midwives from Hywel Dda Health Board
Cyfle Apprentices have been working with Ugandan construction worker to build the ward and share ideas.
The £100k maternity ward project has been partly financed by fundraising in Wales and has seen CITB and Cyfle work in partnership with Engineers for Overseas Development (EFOD) South West Wales and HKS architects.
Mark Bodger Strategic Partnerships Director for CITB Wales, said: “The Cyfle team have worked hard to create a facility that will benefit the community in Uganda for many years to come. This project demonstrates how construction can make a huge difference to communities. It is also a life- changing project for the Cyfle apprentices who worked on the build – what a legacy to already have at the start of their construction career.”
Anthony Rees, Regional Manager at Cyfle Building Skills, said: “The maternity ward project has been a significant step in the development of Cyfle’s CITB Apprenticeship Programme. “The trips to Uganda have helped our apprentices’ learning, including decision making and transferring skills. The project will make a huge difference to the local community and I believe will leave a lasting impression on the team of apprentices.”
