Project Manager

Portfolio of work in Zambia for

Joseph McLean

The following pages outline a selection of the projects I have been involved in during my time working as Senior Project Manager in Zambia for the Irish based charity Alan Kerins Projects.

In this role I was responsible for the management of a large number of projects from conception stage through to handover to local community partners. All projects had a strong emphasis on sustainability with a focus on community participation and ownership throughout the duration of all initiatives. My involvement with the majority of projects started in the consultation phase with key representatives from the local communities in which I worked. I carried out feasibility studies, building design and costings for potential projects and liaised with our Irish office to communicate developments. I completed a number of successful funding applications for outside donors. Through my strong relationship built with the local communities in Zambia, I was able to identify and recruit competent reliable staff. As well as hiring experienced construction workers, we also employed young people - male and female - from the local community and provided them with on-site training in construction techniques. Many of these workers went on to find employment on other projects, including some run by Alan Kerins Projects partner organisations. Working in a remote community in Western Zambia presented many challenges, I developed many problem solving skills and learnt to be adaptable and flexible to local conditions.

Throughout my work I was able to enhance my skills, qualifications as a civil engineer and experience to make a significant contribution to the local community. I am now looking to bring my technical expertise and organisational and leadership abilities to new challenges, particularly in humanitarian work.

Kaoma and surrounding town-land, with a population of approximately 80,000, is located in Western Province, one of the poorest areas in Zambia. Sishekanu Community School was established by an Irish missionary in 1998 to provide education for orphans and other vulnerable children in the Kaoma area. Alan Kerins Projects first became involved with Kaoma Community School in 2006. There is a great need for affordable education in the area, and as a result the school has expanded rapidly. Having started in a parish hall lent by a local priest, the school now consists of 13 classrooms and a large assembly room. Over 1000 children attend the school daily and 22 teachers are employed there.

Project One - Sishekanu Community School

Whilst working in Zambia, I was responsible for a number of infrastructure projects at Sishekanu. My initial role was to oversee the completion of a science and home economics block that had been started at the site. Following the successful completion of this project, I conducted a needs assessment with the school board to determine future priorities. I carried out feasibility studies and cost/benefit analysis for potential projects. As a result, a number of projects were granted funding and completed under my supervision including a new three classroom school block; new latrines and associated works; three housing units to accommodate teachers and upgrade of water supply to the school site.

Below is an overview of my main role in these projects:

• Engaged in consultation process with school board and members of the local community - maintained regular interaction throughout the projects

• Liaised with Alan Kerins Projects Galway office throughout and acted as intermediary between school board and AKP

• Drew up budgets and detailed costings for each individual project

• Identified local construction workers and suitable trades people to carry out works on each project - included labourers and specialised workers

• Sourced all materials for each job - sourced locally where possible• Supervised all construction works and provided regular up-to-date

reports for AKP and outside donors

• Carried out quality control checks at each project phase

• Provided on-site construction training for young people from the local community during each project

• Provided capacity building and training during handover to local community to ensure proper maintenance and upkeep of projects

• Provided final reports for AKP and outside donors detailing construction progress, financial records, impact assessment and lessons learned.

Additional details for the water project are outlined overleaf

The original borehole and manual pump supplying water to the school was damaged beyond repair leaving the entire school without potable water. I:

• Personally sourced extra funding to carry out the project

•Constructed 45m deep borehole under my supervision. The borehole was yield tested and chlorinated in preparation for use.

• 8 no. 80watt Victron Solar Panels were erected on a specially fabricated steel tower (designed by me).

• Lorenz submersible pump was installed in the borehole at depth of 35m. The pump was then connected to a control box mounted on the steel tower and connected to the solar panels.

•Mobilised the community to contribute to the project by hand excavating and backfilling 3 trenches totalling 400m in length to accommodate 40mm diameter PVC pipes

•A 9m high Tower was fabricated and erected on site to accommodate10,000 litre fibreglass tank.

•All associated plumbing works were carried out. An existing VIP latrine block which was no longer in use was upcycled to be used as a tap stand area. Plumbing connections were made to the teachers houses and Home Economics and Science labs.

•Carried out capacity building and training with the teachers and students at Sishekanu in order to ensure the proper maintenance and upkeep of the newly installed system.

Water Supply Upgrade at the School

In 2010 AKP were approached to support the development of a facility for sports activities, youth clubs, and income generating activities in Kaoma. There was no other youth or sports facilities in the town to positively engage young people, thus leaving them vulnerable to a number of negative influences and at risk from HIV/AIDS and other diseases.

AKP agreed to develop a youth centre, known as KYSDC, over several phases and located on a plot of 8 acres donated by the Zambian government. In my role as project manager, I provided guidance and technical assistance (including designs, costings, etc) to AKP and the board of KYSDC. The KYSDC Committee is made up of community leaders, business people and members of youth and sporting groups from Kaoma.

I co-supervised the setup of the KYSDC facility and designed and managed the following project work:

• Grading and levelling of site

• Erection of site boundaries and signage

• Construction of 38m deep borehole with manual pump, hard area and soak away

• Setting out of various playing fields using specialised equipment donated to AKP. Trained board members in the use and maintenance of equipment

• Construction of three bedroom house for caretaker• Construction of two thatched shelters used as meeting and changing

facility

• Construction of two specially designed ablution blocks

• Design and costings for the construction of a shop building to generate a sustainable source of revenue for the facility

Project Two - Kaoma Youth & Sport Development Centre (KYSDC)

AKP have recently supported the development of a multi-purpose training centre adjacent to the orphanage site in Kaoma. The building is designed to accommodate children during periods when the orphanage has higher occupancy and is used as a training and educational centre at other times. On this project, I worked in co-operation with an NGO construction partner called Build-It. We trained a number of local men and women in construction techniques, with several of these re-employed by AKP at the Sishekanu community school development .

My main roles and responsibilities in managing this project included:

• Working with Build-It to supervise all aspects of the project

• Identifying suitable skilled and unskilled workers to carry out work

• Training local employees in construction techniques

• Sourcing local and sustainable materials (where possible) - including blocks from community enterprise initiated by AKP and roof tiles made on-site by the workers

• Engineering work including drawings and costings

• Budgeting

• Progress reports for AKP and other donors

Project Three - Vodafone Multi-purpose Building

Block-making enterprise

To provide a sustainable source of income for Cheshire Home orphanage in Kaoma, AKP initiated the set-up of a block-making enterprise. The project provides direct employment for local workers and generates money for the community by sourcing raw materials locally. The interlocking blocks are environmentally friendly, they use around one third as much cement as conventional blocks, they are made from locally sourced soil and are quick and easy to build. My role was to steer the project from its early development into a viable and profitable business., this included:

• training a local foreman in stock control, business and financial management

• improved production output, efficiency and profitability of the business

• trained workers in machine maintenance

• implemented quality control measures

• introduced health and safety procedures

• created a marketing strategy to advertise the blocks locally (we won 2nd prize for best stand at the annual agriculture show)

Other projects

Swimming pool at Cheshire Home Rehabilitation Centre, Mongu

The Cheshire Home Mongu supports severely mentally and physically disabled children, serving an area five times the size of Ireland. They assist up to 80 children each year, providing corrective surgery and rehabilitation for disabled children, plus their medication, food and education. The management at Cheshire Home wanted to construct a building around an existing outdoor rehabilitation pool in order to make it an indoor facility. I prepared full design drawings and costing for the structure and supervised the construction of the project. I also prepared several building plans for future developments at an accommodation and training complex run as a sustainable income generating business by Cheshire Home.

example CAD drawings

CAD drawings for Ablution Blocks at KYSDC

CAD drawings for caretaker’s house at KYSDC

CAD drawings for thatched shelter at KYSDC

CAD drawings for proposed new orphanage site layout

mcleanjoseph@gmail.com

+353 87 991 9238

Contact:

alankerinsprojects.org