When GER3’s team began work on Central Abaco Primary School (CAPS) in January 2020, the destruction wrought by Hurricane Dorian was painfully visible. Classrooms were exposed beneath torn roofing, electrical wires hung loose and debris was strewn across the play area. There was significant water damage throughout the school, with furniture ruined and ceilings unsafe.

Less than a year later, and despite another immensely challenging year for Abaco, CAPS has been transformed. The classrooms are freshly painted, the ground is clear, and the rebuilt roofs can withstand even the strongest winds. Not only is the school now ready to welcome back students, it has been rebuilt to be safer and more sustainable than it was before the hurricane.

CAPS, located in Abaco’s town center Marsh Harbour, is the largest public school on the island. It had more than 800 students before Hurricane Dorian struck on 1 September 2019, killing at least 60 people and destroying more than 75% of homes. The damage on Abaco was so severe that many people were forced to move to neighboring islands. Other children have remained on Abaco but have to travel long distances to other schools; others have not been able to enroll elsewhere and have now been out of education for more than a year. Although a COVID lockdown means the school cannot yet open as normal, the completion of CAPS represents a major step towards making Abaco a viable place for displaced families to return. The school is a vital piece of infrastructure that will help communities to rebuild post-pandemic. Teachers are expected to return to their classrooms to deliver remote learning soon.

Safer

Before Hurricane Dorian there was a severe lack of government-sanctioned shelters on Abaco. The International Organization for Migration found that there were enough shelters for just 10% of the population. The rebuilt CAPS will go some way to plugging this gap. With support from the Bahamian Disaster Reconstruction Authority (DRA) and Ministry of Public Works, the GER3 team has rebuilt the school to meet official hurricane shelter standards, with space to shelter 1,200 people. A number of new systems have been installed to keep people safe in the event of a future disaster: strong winds will flow over the new aerodynamic metal roofs instead of lifting them, and hurricane straps and lateral bracing will further protect the building. The school also has a permanent backup generator and interior bathrooms accessible from every classroom.

The school’s safety was tested during Hurricane Isaias, which hit Abaco in August 2020. During the storm, CAPS safely sheltered 30 individuals and sustained no damage. GER3 is also training local community representatives as shelter managers, using a Bahamian government-sanctioned curriculum.

More sustainable

GER3 has also been working to make CAPS more sustainable and environmentally friendly. With funding from UNICEF, efforts are underway to install the first ever circular sanitation system at a public school in the Bahamas. This works by converting solid organic waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer for the school’s garden, which has been planted with several types of Abaconian wetland grasses, plants, and fauna. The entire system is gravity fed, reducing the need for high-maintenance pumps and excess electricity use. As well as making the school more environmentally sustainable, the sanitation system will act as a hands-on educational resource for students, who can learn about sustainability, biodiversity and engineering right in their school’s backyard. Photo GER3 has also prepared the school’s roofs for solar panels, which will be installed by the Rocky Mountain Institute in the coming months.

Jobs

The primary school has been rebuilt by a dedicated team of 60 local contractors and cash-for-workers, led by two GER3 project managers. GER3 focused on integrating cash-for-work staff, local contractors & suppliers into the project, in order to support and stimulate the local economy. All workers have received practical training at CAPS, developing valuable skills in roofing, painting, and carpentry.

Benson Danquah, Head Foreman at CAPS, described how the project provided a lifeline in the aftermath of the hurricane: “GER3 has really lifted the morale of the population in Abaco. Right after the destruction, GER3 was the only organization employing large amounts of local people. We had around 60 people working for GER3 at such a critical time. When we were all down in morale and struggling financially, GER3 was able to sustain the workers on the job.”

With government-approved precautions in place, the team has been able to continue work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

What’s next on Abaco?

With the primary school completed, GER3 will now focus on its other programs on Abaco. These including rehabilitating the Every Child Counts School, a school for students living with disabilities; several additional hurricane shelters and homes; and the repair of housing units for doctors and nurses working at the Marsh Harbour clinic.

To learn more about GER3’s work on CAPS, please see our Dorian Operations Updates