Project: Bunyole Institute – Model School Assurance

Bunyole Institute. – Model School Assurance (P530) applies the PHC Community Assurance Service to Bunyole Institute in the Kabaya/Nyamirazo area of Masisi Territory, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo [exact location to verify]. The school operates in association with BIFERD, the proposed institutional partner for project agreements and funding [legal relationship and authority to verify]. The immediate aim is to strengthen school safety, records, accountability and evidence-based improvement decisions while teaching continues. A six-month PHC pilot, with a decision review around month three, will develop a model that could be adapted for other schools. The PHC Proposal will define the scope, responsibilities, fee and funding conditions; school operations and capital works remain separately financed.

Bunyole Institute provides teaching from Monday to Saturday during the school year [calendar to verify], supported by approximately 13 teachers for an estimated 100 pupils [enrolment and staffing to verify]. Learning takes place in deteriorated buildings. Priority needs include safe classrooms, clean water and sanitation, appropriate facilities and privacy for girls, classroom furniture and teaching materials. The school relies primarily on paper records and its existing staff. PHC delivery has not yet begun. The immediate requirement is to verify attendance, learning continuity, school capacity, beneficiary priorities and urgent safeguarding or premises hazards before fixing the improvement programme or building brief.

Within six months, establish an operating PHC assurance process that links school priorities, safeguarding concerns, named responsibilities, recorded expenditure, evidence and regular reporting. Maintain teaching continuity and agree a costed, prioritised programme for safer and more inclusive learning, with immediate improvements delivered only where safe, authorised and funded. At the month-three review, present evidence and options for the next investment decision. Over twelve months, progress the agreed school development plan as funding and permissions allow, and document which assurance methods can be replicated in other existing schools or new builds. Construction completion is not a committed outcome of the initial PHC phase.

At mobilisation, confirm school/BIFERD responsibilities, consent and safeguarding arrangements, safe-access conditions, and any urgent risks that require action before visits or expenditure. In month one, consult school leadership, staff and families; verify enrolment, attendance, services and WASH needs; and set baselines, action owners and practical indicators. Establish weekly local updates and monthly PHC reviews using accessible records. During months two and three, verify facilities and cost improvement options, then present a proceed, revise, pause or stop recommendation with funding requirements. In months four to six, implement only authorised, funded and safely deliverable actions, publish appropriate aggregate progress reports, test the assurance method and prepare the next-stage decision.

The school uses existing buildings in poor condition and occupies a site described as approximately two hectares [area, tenure, boundaries and permissions to verify]. School administration equipment was lost or destroyed during insecurity [losses and remaining assets to verify]; there is no identified school-owned computer or communications equipment. The school has no electricity supply [to verify], while coverage, charging and connectivity remain to be assessed. Paper pupil and financial records are stored at the Headmaster's home because on-site storage is insecure and vulnerable to weather [arrangements to verify]. Premises security, WASH provision, site access and immediate building safety must be established before selecting physical improvements.

Within six months, establish a verified site, building and asset register; risk-rated priorities; secure and controlled record storage; and an affordable, offline-capable administration and communications arrangement. Provide essential equipment only where its use, security, power, support and maintenance are practical and funded. Establish a technically assessed, costed and phased development route for safe classrooms and supporting WASH facilities, including privacy for girls and accessibility needs. Make physical improvements where funding, permissions and local security permit, while protecting teaching continuity. A completed new or rehabilitated school is not assumed within the initial PHC period.

First assess safe site access, premises security, child safeguarding and immediate weather or structural hazards; restrict activities that cannot be undertaken safely. Verify land rights, the reported site area, existing buildings, routes and utilities with school leadership and local authorities. Inventory surviving assets and records, provide secure interim paper storage and agree a practical backup process. Evaluate an offline-first starter kit, charging and connectivity, including power banks or a generator only after operating cost, maintenance and security checks. Develop a building brief from verified pupil and teaching needs. Obtain qualified local advice and compare repairs, phased rehabilitation, conventional construction and potential low-cost or 3D-printed methods against safety, suitability, delivery logistics and whole-life costs. Authorise works only after evidence, permissions, supervision and funding are in place.

Headmaster Maoneo Barakengera leads school operations; Blaise Rushikama coordinates the proposed local PHC work; Jonas Habimana leads BIFERD; Baraka Deo maintains school accounts; and David Winter provides PHC strategic input [authority and agreed duties to verify]. The school has approximately 13 teachers and additional support staff, with parent-committee and local-authority participation [headcounts, overlaps and active time to verify]. The recorded overall population of 150 conflicts with the listed role counts, which total 158 before overlap and Headmaster considerations [to reconcile]. Existing safeguarding, staff capacity, decision rights, volunteer arrangements and communications need review before PHC responsibilities are assigned.

Establish a locally led, accountable team with clear authority for school decisions, PHC coordination, finance, safeguarding, records and any technical works. Assign named primary and deputy contacts, separate financial approval from recordkeeping and checking where feasible, and give staff adequate time and accessible tools without disrupting teaching. Designate a suitable safeguarding focal person only following agreement, training and approval, with an independent alternative route for complaints. Support practical reporting and data protection skills, and obtain qualified advice for security, WASH and construction decisions. Use existing roles where appropriate rather than creating posts before need and funding are established.

Confirm the school leadership structure, BIFERD's institutional remit and each participant's decision rights, availability and agreement to PHC duties. Map actual weekly teaching and support capacity; reconcile staff and beneficiary numbers; and appoint action, financial-record and safeguarding responsibilities, including deputy cover. Agree child-protection and confidential reporting procedures before collecting or sharing sensitive material. Train relevant staff in paper-based evidence, secure recordkeeping, financial control and monthly reporting; retain offline options. The Headmaster's weekly school update, accountant's supporting records, Blaise's local coordination, BIFERD's agreed input and PHC strategic review will feed a monthly decision meeting [duties to agree]. Review workload, implementation risks, outstanding actions and formal handovers throughout the pilot.

Pupil fees are the school's regular cash income, with amounts and collection patterns [to verify]. Cashbooks and receipts are maintained by the Headmaster and school accountant and stored at the Headmaster's home [completeness and controls to verify]. The school currently operates primarily in cash, and its own bank or mobile-money arrangements are not established [to verify]. BIFERD provides advocacy and may provide basic learning or hygiene supplies; the extent of in-kind support conflicts across the framing answers [to reconcile]. There is no confirmed funding for the six-month PHC Service or major school improvements. School operations, PHC delivery, essential recovery equipment and capital works require separate budgets.

Secure an agreed, affordable six-month PHC service package with a lawful and accountable payment route, while protecting income required for core teaching. Establish traceable cash and in-kind records, approved spending limits, appropriate review and monthly evidence of delivery, risks and financial position. Prepare separate, costed cases for urgent safety or equipment needs and phased school development, including ongoing staffing, power, security, maintenance and WASH costs. At month three, present sponsors and authorised school stakeholders with a documented decision on the next funding stage, including uncertainties and any reason to revise, pause or stop investment. No unverified construction or PHC fee estimate will be treated as an agreed budget.

Verify pupil-fee income, cashbook and receipt completeness, expenditure, debts, existing commitments, donor history and the value of any BIFERD in-kind contributions. Agree who may receive funds, sign agreements, approve payments, hold cash, maintain records and independently check expenditure. Evaluate an account in the school's name; a BIFERD-administered route is an option only if legally authorised and acceptable to the sponsor, with documented controls [to verify]. Set the six-month PHC scope, fee, service funding and review terms in the Proposal, separately from school operations and physical works. Introduce a basic transaction register, evidence records, an asset/in-kind register and monthly reconciliation. Cost urgent requirements and obtain comparable local estimates. At month three, recommend proceed, revise, pause or stop against verified safety, delivery, funding and value-for-money conditions; authorise only funded commitments.

The project has a clear identity, school photographs, a draft sponsor narrative and framing answers. These provide the foundation for early engagement with sponsors and advisers. The next task is to assemble contact lists, establish publication permissions and turn the material into a concise case for the initial PHC phase and subsequent school investment.

Present a clear, respectful account of the school's priorities, the PHC programme and the investment needed. Give sponsors a compelling initial request and a clear route to the next funding decision. Keep families and staff informed and provide accessible ways to raise concerns. By month six, publish a concise account of results, lessons and the assurance practices available for adaptation to other schools.

Agree the core message, contact details and permissions for public material. Update the sponsor pack when the PHC Proposal sets scope and price. Build a focused list of sponsors and advisers and prepare tailored approaches for approval. Share concise monthly progress summaries while protecting sensitive records. Use the month-three findings to support the next funding request. Close the pilot with an evidence and learning pack covering achievements, unresolved issues and practical guidance for replication.