Friday, January 20, 2012

Hello Friends,
 
Yesterday Nevin and I traveled with HI to several villages in the Western Rural Area which is adjacent to the Area where Freetown is.
 
Our 1st and longest stop was at Morthaim to see the completed, almost 1 year old, spring fed gravity water system. You can see photos on the WCUCC website (serve area) in the power point on projects finished in 2011.  It was probably my last long climb up that mountain, a trek I made many times last year while it was under construction.  It was wonderful to see how it is being maintained! Every Saturday, Shakia, the volunteer water caretaker, empties the holding pool between the spring and the filter and scrubs it out. He regularly has to empty the large holding tank, climb inside of it and scrub and bleach it, as well! He is very proud of this role and it obvious that he does it well!  Each family in the village is supposed to pay 1000 leones (less than 25 cents) to be kept in a maintenance fund to replace scrub brushes, future broken pipe, etc. Even that amount is difficult for many of the families.
 
An added bonus in Morthaim is that the rutted, mostly dirt road the village is on will soon be torn up, widened and paved. Most of the houses will be torn down in the process. The gov't has given each family enough money to rebuild further back from the road and, in most cases, nicer houses! The process of mixing the clay mud for new bricks and making the concrete requires a lot of water! The process is very work intensive as it is. I can't imagine what it would be like to be carrying water up the mountain from the river!    I was planning on making a power point on the differ types of home construction and now I have the process on video to improve the presentation!  (Everyday Life in SL will be 1 of the 3 Wed. night programs on HI-SL in April at WCUCC.)  Nevin and I were asked over and over again to relay great thanks to all of you who have helped them have a safe water source!  Many people in Morthaim, as well as in the other villages include the people of WCUCC in their prayers and appreciate being in ours!
 
The next stop was Grafton, quite a large town, where we will begin on about Feb. 1 to dig 1 bore hole well and replace 1 dysfunctional pump. The organization that HI partners with in Grafton is the War Widows for Christ Organization. (The mosque also has a war widows group.)  We did not stay long because most of the group was at the funeral of one of their members, but get to talk to their leader.  The well will be dug in the yard of the orphanage. Many of the orphans lost their parents in the war.  The replacement pump is for the well in the school yard. Families near both sites will benefit from these water sources!
 
The great irony in us providing pure water to people in Grafton is that the large company that bottles water for people in SL who have money to buy it, is in Grafton and is called Grafton!  This area is known for it's good quality spring/mineral water. Just as in the US, the poor people do not have access to something just because it is from their area!
 
We then visited the villages of Magbanamaty and Marparea.  They had wells dug in 1995 by an NGO that didn't a good job of ceiling the walls of the wells.  The water from the wells in both villages smells and tastes bad and gets a film of iron rust oil on to in dry season.  As a result, these 2 villages and at least 1 more get their drinking water from spring water that sits in a natural mud pool.  (The rusty pump water can still be used for bathing and laundry.) 
 
I will be visiting so many villages in desperate need of pure water, I am very glad that the HI staff will make the final decision about which water needs are priority for our projects! While I am in each village, I am very sure that that village is the 1st priority!
 
Our last stop was Crossing, the site of our 1st well! It was like seeing old friends to return. If I have time in a future letter, I'll tell about the organic gardening project began by Mercy Ships that is so impressive!
 
 In a few minutes, we'll leave school for the weekend. We'll be staying overnight on the sand at River Number 2 Beach and spending the day there tomorrow! I feel in need of a relaxed day, as my energy needs a boost!
 
Sunday Nevin will leave for home. It has been wonderful to have this time with both of my sons! I will miss Nevin along on the upcoming HI trips!
 
Jenny