The Home Stretch

The past few days have been spent meeting with each existing cluster. We discussed maintenance and taught them how to replace pump valves, the most commonly broken component. The clusters also brainstormed other potential problems and we discussed how to fix them. Most of the groups are confident they can repair any problems. We also gathered feedback for the improvements to the tank design and for potential new tanks. Many people recommended above ground tanks because they are easier to construct whereas some preferred the below ground tanks for their lower costs. We found that the sharing is going well and even if not every household contributed financially the others still allow them to gather water. Everyone was appreciative of the tanks and they all hope we can continue working with Ddegeya.

At all of the meetings we had a bit of waiting time while people gathered and Sarah and Leone decided we should sing and dance. Scott and I sang patriotic songs while the Ugandans sang about their Kabaka, the king of the Buganda tribe. Ddegeya is part of the Buganda kingdom, the largest tribal group in Uganda. Sarah and Leone are also Buganda and led the songs for the Kabaka. We also had a dance party with Shamim, Mrs. Muwanika's two year old granddaughter. She has invented many interesting dances.

Everyone is eager to return home. Scott and Sarah are looking forward to their home foods. We will all miss Ddegeya, especially our friends there. Eddie, the host of the boys, will miss playing chess and talking with Scott. Ivan, Mrs. Muwanika's grandson will miss having people to play cards with. Mrs. Muwanika said she didn't mind cooking for us and hoped we would stay. People frequently ask us about past team members and hope they return.

Tomorrow we'll be leaving Ddegeya around 2pm to head to the airport and Kampala to drop off Sarah and Leone. We won't be able to blog in transit so this will be our last Oli Otya from Ddegeya. Stay tuned for future trips!

Finishing Finishing

At each of the five tanks built last summer we have replaced the wooden lid with concrete, plastered over the concrete and finished it. Finishing is a process of smoothing the plaster with a wooden float to give an even surface and prevent cracking. We have finished plastering and finishing at all five tanks! The tanks are now ready to go and have all pipes and pumps reinstalled. They also have wooden entry hatches that have been painted with sealant to prevent rotting. The lids are now safer to walk on, but to prevent people from climbing on the tanks we built steps beneath the pump to help people reach the pump easier. All of the households are pleased with the finished product.

What are we going to do now that we are done? Have more meetings! We are planning to meet with each of the existing clusters to see if we can work out a way for them to share more effectively. Right now the households where the tanks are located pay all of the costs of maintenance but still share their water. Hopefully we can find out why their neighbors are reluctant to help so we can prevent this problem in the future. We only have a few more days left in Ddegeya and we hope to get as much information as possible to make future trips successful.

Right now Scott and I are in Masaka to use the internet and go food shopping. Sara and Leone are busy doing laundry so they can be clean for their trip back to Kampala. Everyone is excited to go home and eat their local food. Scott is looking forward to meatloaf while Sarah is excited for cassava and porridge. Still, we will all miss Mrs. Muwanika's cooking.

Peter says Goodbye

Our second mentor, Peter, left today. Like Valerie he decided to spend a day in Entebbe to get in some relaxation and a proper shower before the long plane ride home. It was great to have Peter providing project advice and to learn more about EWB-USA headquarters where Peter works. We know Peter is excited to leave and get his shower and coffee but we will miss him in Ddegeya. Scott is now alone at Eddie's house, but he can still play chess with Eddie. He will only be alone for a week anyways! It seems strange but Scott and I have just one more week in Ddegeya and we'll soon be the ones leaving. We wish Peter a safe trip to Entebbe and home! 

Many Meetings

We have met with eight potential new clusters for new rainwater harvesting system. A cluster is a group of families that share in the cost, maintenance, and use of the rainwater harvesting system. So far each group has been enthusiastic but will see if that enthusiasm continues when it is time to collect money. A major problem with the existing tanks is that many neighbors use the tank but did not pay as much as the owner of the house where the tank is located. The community and we believe this can be solved by requiring each neighbor to contribute equally. Many clusters also prefer above ground tanks to the below ground tanks because pumping can be tiring. Peter suggested we look into a cheaper brick foundation to reduce costs for above ground tanks. At the meetings there are often several conversations going on at once and our translator Sarah does her best to explain the most relevant information but we are definitely missing some of the conversation. At any rate, we have lots of data on the size of roofs and on the family size of potential tank users so the team at MIT will be ready to design more tanks if they decide to do so. 

Finishing tanks!

We have officially finished all construction on two tanks! The first step since our last post was picking up the hatches that our carpenter made. These hatches were painted with primer and waterproof paint to prevent rotting. Once the hatch, pump, and downspout were ready to go in the tank we plastered the top. The plaster helped smooth out any holes in the concrete. Leone and Sarah were obsessive about giving the plaster a nice finish with a wooden float. They trained me in the process, which can be time consuming, but it does help prevent cracking and makes the tank look nice. Peter remarked that the tanks would look awful if the MIT team was left to finish them alone!

We are picking up the last three hatches today. We will paint them and soon we will continue with plastering. It is exciting to be almost done with construction so we can focus more on assessment of future projects. 

Safari Trip

We normally take Sundays off to rest but this past Sunday we took a trip to the nearest national park, Lake Mburo. Scott, Peter, and I (Marisa) along with Ben, a volunteer at the clinic, left Ddegeya at 6:00am to get to Lake Mburo in time for prime animal viewing. As we drove in we saw several animals from our car including zebra, impala and warthogs. 

We started off with a walking tour of the grassland and swamp area. We were a bit nervous since our guide carried a large gun, but we were eager to get close to the animals. At first we didn't see any animals on our walk and we all regretted leaving the car. As we got further into the park we saw herds of zebra, impala, bushbuck, waterbuck, warthogs, eland, buffalo, and many birds. This park is home to a few leopards and lions, but we did not see any. We got great views of many of the herd animals. We learned that for some species, like buffalo, only one male lives with a group of females. There were many lonely males throughout the park that our guide told us were aggressive because they were embarrassed to live alone. 

After our walking tour we went on a boat ride on Lake Mburo. We saw many hippos and birds. During the trip hippos would pop out of the water and surprise us. They are graceful in water despite their size. Our guide had excellent eyesight and spotted several crocodiles but not all of us were lucky enough to see them. We were lucky to see some rare birds including the fin foot. 

We had a late breakfast at the lakeside restaurant and enjoyed the peaceful view. Sadly, we could not go on some of the game drive tracks because our driver did not have a jeep. Fortunately we saw most of the species that live in Lake Mburo. 

Touring Ddegeya

Since we completed our last concrete lid with have been working to build pumps and to determine if the community is interested in constructing more tanks. Mrs. Muwanika, our chef and host to the girls, and the village chairman have taken us to see many houses for potential tanks sites. At each site we ask if the homeowner and his or her neighbors would be interested in a shared tank. We also measure the house, inspect roof quality and take lots of photos. For each site we have arranged a meeting with the neighbors. So far we have met with two potential groups. They were all enthusiastic and said they were willing to contribute labor, money and materials. We are hesitant to believe them since many of the existing tanks are used by more people than they were funded by. Our partners from Makerere University, Sarah and Leone, believe that the villagers are now more willing to contribute since they have actually seen the tanks and they have been assured we are not trying to cheat them. Ultimately, it is up to the team at MIT to decide if they want to continue building tanks.

Constructing pumps has been going well so far. We tried to design a new valve from foam instead of wood but the foam here does not work because the valve gets pushed inside the pipe. We have reverted to wooden valves and ordered more from the carpenter. The people who use the tanks are familiar with the wooden valves and know how to replace them. Another problem to work on in the future is making the pump easier. It is convenient when the tank is full but pumping the last foot of water is difficult.

We have contracted the carpenter to remove the form work and build hatches for the tank. We will see soon if the hatches fit in the concrete space left for them. Once the form work is removed we can install the hatch and reattach the pump and downspout. We also plan to mortar over the concrete lids to make them smoother. With construction nearing completion we are focusing more on interviewing the community about how to make this project better. There is still plenty of work for the team at MIT to work on!