Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Positive and Negitives of the Spring 2011 Trip

This trip had some positive and some negative results. That is to be expected.
Positives:
1. We did get the Sabon Gari pump near Mayo Belwa working again and found a young man that could become our repair person in Mayo Belwa. When we came back a week later the women said the pump works good but as they pump the pumping gets hard (heavy) and the flow decreases. When they stop for a while and it is easier.

2. We got the Danish borehole pump working in Dumne although it does not work continuously. They have to stop pumping and wait "one hour" to recharge. Few of the women have watches and almost every pump that is slow to recharge the women have told me they have to wait "one hour". Adams is considering adding some more pipes to the pump to increase the amount of water pumped before recharging and decrease the recharge time. However, the problem may actually be similar to Sabon Gari where they are stopping because the pumping is getting harder because the water level drops as they pump and they have to lift a heavier column of water further up the riser pipe.


3. We got to know the water situation in Dumne better by visiting all 13 boreholes. Only a small area of the town is involved in this project. The exact boundaries need to be better determined.

4. The bailer I designed in 2010 was finally tested and worked. This could be a useful tool for future work.

5. I was able to help Yakubu on several non-water related projects he needed help on.

6. I have a better idea on how to build a machine to deepen these slow recharge boreholes without spending $3500 to $5000 to drill a new borehole.

7. I am more convinced than ever that we can produce fire wood from waste paper and sawdust as a revenue producing project for the urban poor. I was able to design two different prototypes and hope to build and test them over the summer.

8. I am encouraged that the Women's Fellowship may become the vehicle for implementing the Sanitation and Hygiene parts of the WASH Program even without a formal funded program from the LCCN.

9. I got to visit two villages in the Jos mission field and seen that there is as big of a need here as in Adamawa.

10. I got more practice driving on roads where drivers pay no attention to rules.

Negatives:
1. There has been little movement toward the LCCN forming a WASH Program.
 
2. I was not able to meet with the Archbishop. He was traveling to the USA and several other countries and returns as I leave.

3. I was not able to travel to Taraba State to visit the Bali Project Mission Field to start a water evaluation.

4. I was not able to return to the Abuja Diocese for my first meeting with Bishop Ben and to fix a couple pumps and discuss the future of WASH in the Abuja Diocese.

4. The School pump at Dumne works as good as when we arrived. Once Adams "fishes" out the 7 pipes and 8 rods we dropped down the hole they will have a slow recharge pump at the school. Which is better than no water.

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