The centres all take on the same basic shape and construction style - reinforced pillars on a concrete slab with brick walls. The reinforced pillars allow a second storey - in time! They are all about eigth to ten meters wide and twenty to twenty five meters deep, this allows for the gathering space,
kitchen area and store room.Some have toilet facilities if they are connected to the sewage - or have dug a sewage pit! All have water delivered by the water trucks, and this comes at a cost. Most have electricity connected.
The centres are the gathering place for Sunday Masses and community meetings. The local people have taken enormous pride in their centres and some have even developed a small library so that their children may use them as homework centres of an evening.
The comedor, or kitchen, is a vital part of the daily operation of the centres. The local women are rostered during the week to prepare and serve the midday meal, this could also mean going down into the markets very early each morning to purchase and carry back all the supplies! Families pay a nominal sum of money to either eat there or take pots of food back to their houses. The comedors are only open on week days and not all open five days a week.
