2016 Uganda Trip
Well Implementation and Biogas Digestor Restart.
March 2016 Well Implementation Trip:
So far the well has been drilled, the casing is in, and they've done some yield testing and development. It looks like we'll have a sufficient recharge to supply the school and nearby households. It is too early to know with certainty though. It appears that it will perform better than the previous well. Even with the low recharge, the previous well has made a positive impact. Hopefully the new well will have an even greater impact.
During the trip we also assess future sites for projects. There are a few promising sites for future water projects: a well by another school that could draw customers from the Buseesa well to reduce the loading, and a protected spring in Kikendu. The villagers in Kikendu have really stepped up and organized. It is great to see them mobilized like that. There is also a road project that could be feasible. We still have quite a bit of investigation left for that though.
Since the well project is by the school, we are around children a lot. They get really excited when they see us and they like to run over and sit with us. They're shy though so they don't really talk; they just stare at us. Today the teachers organized some dancing, singing, and drumming for us this morning. It was cute. They have "leg rattles" for their traditional dance. At the end of the performance they pulled us into the dancing. Erin was recording it and might have gotten our dancing on video :-/
March 2016 Uganda Travel Team & Biogas Update
The travel team has been on the ground in Uganda since Saturday, March 12. They have successfully drilled a new well in the Kiryabicooli community, installing the concrete cap on March 17. They also conducted a positive community meeting during which residents suggested new water projects. The potential new project sites were toured and evaluated.
The team is also overseeing the restart of the biogas digester. Purchased cow manure has been added to the digester bag for a few weeks now. Gas is being produced. The contractor is transitioning from cow manure to the pig and goat manure available on the farm. The 50-foot long, 8-foot diameter digester bag is nearly fully inflated now.
