Hananani Primary School
Hananani Primary School: Giving Back to Build Dreams
Our first project in South Africa began with the question, “What if shipping containers could become classrooms for a rural village on the other side of the world?”
Location: Dixie, South Africa
The Mission
Joel Andersen, CEO of Andersen Construction, took a visioning trip to rural South Africa in 2017 to better understand the issues facing vulnerable communities, and he returned home determined to find a way to aid the people he met who were living in extreme poverty.
The Need
One school stood out during Joel’s travels: Hananani Primary School. After meeting with the principal of Hananani to discuss their most pressing issues, he learned that the school desperately needed more space to serve all the children living in their community.
The Team
38 Andersen Construction employees, volunteers, and partners
The Project
In June 2019, our team set out for rural Dixie, South Africa. Over Hananani’s two-week winter break, our team built two new classrooms, inside and out, using shipping containers sent all the way from our offices in Portland, Oregon. But we didn’t stop there—we also renovated the existing school campus, including:
Leveling existing classrooms
Pouring new concrete pads and sidewalks
Painting the interiors and exteriors of all existing buildings
Building outdoor seating pods
Installing sunshades for parking and outdoor community spaces
Leveling a soccer field
Making electrical improvements
Installing new fans for improved cooling
To make this dream a reality, Andersen worked closely with a local nonprofit community group and included the local tribe leaders and school leadership to ensure the project met the needs of students (or “learners,” as they say in Dixie).
But the students weren’t the only ones who benefitted. The project also provided an infusion of funds for the local economy. The unemployment rate in Dixie is close to 80%, and the average household includes only one wage earner to support eight people, so it was important to us to create a work opportunity for community members from all three surrounding villages—both men and women, with priority given to young adult orphans. We committed to purchasing materials locally whenever possible, and we hired more than 40 local laborers to work alongside us each day.
At the end of the project, we hosted a community celebration for hundreds of locals, and students began using the new space immediately. In just two weeks, the impossible became possible, thanks to the tireless work and heartfelt commitment of our team, our nonprofit partners, and the many enthusiastic community members who helped make it happen.
Watch the build
“In the Tsonga language, “hananani” means “gift.” They received the gift of a new school. We received the gift of a lifetime in helping somebody else in service of others.”
-Joel Andersen, CEO of Andersen Construction Company