Home But Lots To Do Yet

I've been home a few days now and I've almost recovered from the jet lag. I had a super busy time in Africa and even brought a lot of stuff home with me to work on. My objective today was to get the water analysis from the Mieze well into the hands of someone here who knows what he's looking at, unlike me. I paid a visit to Richard Mercer who operates a Culligan franchise here in the Saint John / Rothesay area. I wasn't disappointed by Richard's expertise and willingness to share his knowledge to help with our Mieze farm project. Richard says that there are some inconsistencies in the report but in general it appears that the water from the Mieze well isn't the best and it can't be easily fixed. Looks like a new well is in order. Hopefully there is good water somewhere on this 140 acre Mieze property.

Photcopies?

The remainder of the money for Brad's project came through while I was in Africa. Now I can get the money to Brad so he can purchase the solar and wind gear he and his family need to live comfortably off the grid many miles from nowhere in northern Mozambique. I also have the money now to send to the orphanage in Johannesburg to implement a wind powered pumping system to keep the water flowing when the grid is down. This system will also help the orphanage to operate more efficiently as electricity rates skyrocket in South Africa.

A statistic that I heard several times while in Africa was that about 60% of existing wells in Mozambique are no longer functioning! That's incredible. So what's the problem? I think a large part of it is caused by broken hand pumps. The rubber seals wear out on these busy pumps and then they no longer work. What a shame when we could easily start a program to do maintenance on these simple systems. The geography is massive though, and there is actually government red tape to go through to get permission to repair a well pump! This is another project that I see myself getting involved in since it has such a big bang for the buck.

I'm so thankful for Duncan, Joe, and Brad who gave freely of their time to show me around and educate me on the real needs of the people vs what we sometimes perceive as the need from here in North America. This is exciting work where it's easy to make a huge difference in the lives of many people. This isn't charity, it's enabling the people to sustain themselves. I can't think of anything I would rather be doing.

WOW Where Has the Time Gone!

So tonight we're back in Nairobi almost two weeks to the day since we left home. It's been so busy that we can hardly believe it's time to head home. Everything has gone super smoothly and I accomplished far more than I expected. Our week in Moz was jam packed right up to takeoff time. Yesterday I helped Joe (the pilot) install a VHF radio base station at his home. I went with him to pick up test results on the well water in Mieze, then made it back to the base to meet Peter who is operating a farm and orphanage 800km west of Pemba. He has water and electricity needs similar to Mieze so it was good to talk with him about that.

Adriano and I

For supper I met with Adriano my little friend from my last visit to Pemba. He's one of the kids from the nearby village. Jon and I took him and his younger cousin to the Chicken Shack where the boys enjoyed the fried chicken, bones and all.

I spent some time last evening going over the Mieze water test trying to understand it. I think I will take it to an expert when I get home. We know there is a problem with the water but not how serious it is or if it can be fixed.

There is sure no shortage of new projects to pick from, every one of them worthwhile. My problem now is going to be in picking one or two to work on over the next few months.

Mozambique!

We arrived safely in Mozambique last Saturday night. My contact here, Joe, has been keeping us so busy that this is the first time I have had a chance to get online and update my blog.

Sunday afternoon Joe took us out to see his wellsites in Impiri. One of the sites at the top of a hill has gone dry due to the drought, but the rainy season is approaching (it still rains here) so the dry well is temporary. The second well in Impiri is in a valley near a dry river bed and it's still producing lots of water. We sat nearby for close to an hour and watched as dozens of people cycled through filling their large pails and jerry cans with water. Previously these people would have had to dig holes in the dry river bed and scoop muddy water into the jugs. They are very thankful for this hand pump that provides them with all the clean water they need, even though they still sometimes have to carry it for several km afterward.

On the way back home from Impiri we stopped at the new Mieze farm. The plan for this land is to grow enough food to supply the whole Iris operation in Pemba, the two bases, the orphanage, and the village feeding programs. This would be an amazing accomplishment, but as usual water is the problem. There is a well onsite but nobody knows if it will produce sufficient water for the farm but they do know that the water is brackish. They are going get lab tests done on the water so that I can see exactly what's wrong with it and can try to find a solution to making the water usable, at least for agriculture. This farm operation appears to be a great candidate for another Rotary project that would give us great bang for the buck and be relatively easy to implement here, now that Iris has drill equipment and all the red tape under control on these projects. Supplying the entire farm with clean water would impact the lives of thousands of people, providing them with fresh fruits and vegetables grown within the Iris system.

Yesterday Joe took us out to Chichua which is a 2 1/2 hour drive from Pemba. It's actually a very picturesque place with random mountains, maybe 2000 feet high sticking out of a plateau. The village at Chichua is a large one, about 6000 people. Iris is drilling a series of twenty wells around this town, all shallow hand pump wells, thirty to forty meters deep. We spent most of the day watching the crew drill a well and playing with the village kids in the 40 degree heat. Unfortunately, at 110 ft there was still no water after drilling the whole time in rock, slow going. When we left, the drill master felt there was still hope and he was going to keep going. I haven't heard yet if he hit water.

Today we are going to Balama to visit Brad and Jen. They are a missionary couple with five children living in the outback of Mozambique. They had solar equipment operating their well pump and small appliances but the equipment was stolen while they were away. I'm working with Brad on a plan to replace the gear and to make it secure so that it doesn't disappear again. Brad is picking us up this morning for the four hour drive to Balama where we'll be overnighting with them, then returning to Pemba tomorrow.

We are not wasting any time here! Every minute is productive and that makes me happy. There is no end to the projects which can really make a difference here. Jon is doing his reporter thing and taking tons of pictures and writing reams of notes. We are going to have a great story to tell when we get home, I can't wait.

I will probably get a chance to update you again later this week, so stay tuned.

Safely Back in Nairobi

Well, a very emotional departure from Ndandini. In just a few short days we feel like we have become extended family members of these villagers who are so welcoming and hospitable. Their quiet and unassuming demeanors are such a treat for two boys who are used to a much more materialistic culture. We were treated to two beautiful lunches at the school. The only regret that we have is that neither of us was able to eat everything that was set before us. The first lunch treat was chicken and the second beef. We know that the teachers went to great lengths to provide us with these beautiful meals and we appreciated them so much.

I finished up today with what computer training I could squeeze in with the teachers at the Ndandini Primary School. The teachers are very eager to learn about computers and the internet and I had a great time teaching them. They are like sponges trying to absorb it all, anxious to pass it on to their students. Jon is spending his time talking to the villagers, getting their stories, and taking lots of pictures. We are going to have an amazing story to tell when we get home.

Duncan started up the generator at the wellsite today just for us to show us the whole system in action. It is truly amazing with everything running like clockwork. Duncan has done a masterful job in pulling this all together onsite. He is truly a master craftsman. He and his helpers were working at putting up a fence around the whole system today. Even at noon when the temp hit 40 degrees they kept going. Jon and I tried hard to find some shade to sit in but at noon at the equator there isn't very much shade.

After getting back here tonight to our two star hotel in Nairobi and having a shower we feel like we are in a five star. The generator room was a great spot to stay on-site, though. I was actually starting to get used to sleeping on the concrete floor...only woke up two or three times last night with an arm or leg asleep. We have a real bed to sleep in tonight, but I might have to move to the floor if I can't get comfortable :)

Tomorrow we head for Mozambique for the second half of our trek. I'm really looking forward to going back to see my old friends there. The next time I update will be from Pemba.

Thanks for all of your supportive and encouraging emails. It's great to know people are actually following along here!

Update from Ndandini

Jon and I have been here in Ndandini now for a couple of days. This is the first chance I've had to get on the internet and update you. I'll be brief so I don't use up all of their internet time.

So far we have had a complete tour of five or six schools in the area, having visited each classroom and having met approximately 1250 students. We taught them all to 'Hi Five' which was new to them and a lot of fun for us.

We are camping out in the generator room at the wellsite which is a really nice hotel room for us to use. The concrete floor is a bit unforgiving for my old bones but Jon is sleeping well. So far no strange diseases or sickness of any kind. It has been about 35 degrees each day but we haven't lost our acclimatization from summer yet so it doesn't feel too bad. We are drinking about two liters of water a day though.

The well is an amazing accomplishment. Jon is writing profusely and we're taking lots of pictures. We have so much to tell but it will have to wait until we get home.

Will update again soon, most likely from Mozambique. We're leaving for Pemba on Saturday. We will be sad to leave here...so many new friends and so much fun playing with the kids.