At the Mar Elias Educational Institutions (MEEI) Mariam Bawardi elementary school there is an immediate structural safety hazard — a deteriorating limestone cliff face directly above the school playground.
This video gives you a sense of the danger to the children.
In a prior project, MEEI constructed a reinforced retaining wall along the limestone cliff face behind the church building and its adjacent courtyard. That wall has performed without incident since its completion and is widely regarded within the campus as a successful and durable intervention. The elementary school playground is situated along the same geological formation, immediately to the north of the area already secured.
The section of cliff face above the elementary school playground has not yet been reinforced. The formation presents visible fracturing across an area measuring approximately 7 meters in height and 5.5 meters in width (38.5 m²). Field assessment indicates progressive weathering driven by seasonal rain infiltration and thermal expansion cycles consistent with broader regional climate trends. The playground below is in daily use by elementary school students during school hours.
In this photo you can see the incomplete retaining wall and the open cliff face that overlooks the play yard.
The risk profile of the unsecured section is assessed as materially similar to — and geologically continuous with — the section that prompted the original retaining wall project. The same engineering team that designed and built the existing wall has assessed the current site and provided the cost estimates.
The retaining wall will:
We would like to raise the necessary funds by mid-August so that construction can begin before the school year begins in September.