Amanhã (Portuguese) = tomorrow
This is when things seem to be happening at the moment but hopefully amanhã things are actually going to get going. Tomorrow I should finally be starting to drill a borehole in a community called Ngogoti about an hour from here. I will stay there for 3 nights and the dream is that we’ll be drinking the water on Thursday. Realistically, I’ll probably have to continue the project when I’m back from the lake.
Here are just a few of the reasons that the project has been delayed…
We’re borrowing a Vonder Rig (hand auger: easier than hand digging a well, not as easy as machine drilling one but a LOT cheaper) from Estamos (a local NGO) but the pieces were in a place called Mandimba. No problem, we have to drive through there on the way to Malawi which we did a couple of weeks ago, so we stopped and asked to collect it on our way back through – “sure!” On our way back, the boss decided then wasn’t actually such a good time but once back in Lichinga, Rebecca used her contacts to make sure it was brought the next day in a car coming this way. Meanwhile, we had been trying to get hold of a technician, also from Mandimba, to work with us the first time we used the equipment but he had no phone. We eventually got hold of him, basically by phoning various neighbours, and he agreed to come last Sunday. He didn’t turn up. He arrived late Monday night due to apparent problems with chapas (minibuses). Tuesday morning we went to collect the drill but discovered that lots of pieces were missing, and were back in Mandimba. We send Elias (the technician) back again. He was due to return again on Friday and we mobilised the community ready to start working on Saturday morning. He didn’t arrive – turns out the boss at Estamos was in Malawi and so couldn’t authorise the parts. We phoned the boss’s brother (luckily a friend of Rebecca’s!) and the boss later returned to Mandimba and the parts were released. Then Elias couldn’t find a chapa to bring them on. This morning therefore we sent a Diocesean car to p
ick him and the pieces up and bring them back. On the way they got a flat tyre, but that’s no big deal and they eventually arrived with the Vonder Rig this afternoon. BUT in collating the pieces here with the ones they brought we discovered there was still one piece missing. In the mean time, we visited Ngogoti on Saturday so that we wouldn’t have to change the plans with them AGAIN. It was actually a good meeting. We did some community mapping and spoke with the chief and the Equipa de Vida there to establish the best location for the pump. We took a tape measure and had an amusing time demonstrating what 30metres looked like as ideally a borehole has a 30m space around it with no buildings and particularly no latrines (see pic). We might manage 15m if we’re lucky. So, this missing piece, having told them we’ll start at 7am tomorrow, needs to be welded and we can’t do that till the welding people actually start work at 8am! Finally, we’ve ordered some small Afridev pieces, predominantly for my work at the lake next week, from Nampula but a couple are needed for this project, and they should’ve arrived on the plan over a week ago. Turns out there had been a problem with the bank transfer – it was registered on the computer but no money had turned up – or something – who knows! It’s all the more frustrating because communication is so difficult that it’s hard to re organise things and the community are ready to start work and are really excited and motivated about the project.
So, that’s where I am for the next week, then it’s a quick turn around and I’m off to the lake and up to Wikihi on the Tanzanian border to start the Afridev maintenance workshops. A test of my Portuguese and training abilities. The manual is almost finished.
In other news Peg, Rebecca and I went for a lovely walk on New Years Day (see pic) and we caught 4 mice in the last week! We had no electricity for most of last week which got pretty annoying – when you expect to have it it’s so much worse that when you’re in the field and know there isn’t any! O, and I have a flight booked to come home. I land on 2nd March.
I spent a lot of time reflecting on New Years Eve. It was a beautiful moonlit night and I sat outside between 10pm and midnight listening to drumming in the village. 2009 was an amazing year for me with lots of milestones. I also realised how many amazing people I’ve met in the last year or got to know better, so thanks!
Happy New Year x
This is when things seem to be happening at the moment but hopefully amanhã things are actually going to get going. Tomorrow I should finally be starting to drill a borehole in a community called Ngogoti about an hour from here. I will stay there for 3 nights and the dream is that we’ll be drinking the water on Thursday. Realistically, I’ll probably have to continue the project when I’m back from the lake.
Here are just a few of the reasons that the project has been delayed…
We’re borrowing a Vonder Rig (hand auger: easier than hand digging a well, not as easy as machine drilling one but a LOT cheaper) from Estamos (a local NGO) but the pieces were in a place called Mandimba. No problem, we have to drive through there on the way to Malawi which we did a couple of weeks ago, so we stopped and asked to collect it on our way back through – “sure!” On our way back, the boss decided then wasn’t actually such a good time but once back in Lichinga, Rebecca used her contacts to make sure it was brought the next day in a car coming this way. Meanwhile, we had been trying to get hold of a technician, also from Mandimba, to work with us the first time we used the equipment but he had no phone. We eventually got hold of him, basically by phoning various neighbours, and he agreed to come last Sunday. He didn’t turn up. He arrived late Monday night due to apparent problems with chapas (minibuses). Tuesday morning we went to collect the drill but discovered that lots of pieces were missing, and were back in Mandimba. We send Elias (the technician) back again. He was due to return again on Friday and we mobilised the community ready to start working on Saturday morning. He didn’t arrive – turns out the boss at Estamos was in Malawi and so couldn’t authorise the parts. We phoned the boss’s brother (luckily a friend of Rebecca’s!) and the boss later returned to Mandimba and the parts were released. Then Elias couldn’t find a chapa to bring them on. This morning therefore we sent a Diocesean car to p
ick him and the pieces up and bring them back. On the way they got a flat tyre, but that’s no big deal and they eventually arrived with the Vonder Rig this afternoon. BUT in collating the pieces here with the ones they brought we discovered there was still one piece missing. In the mean time, we visited Ngogoti on Saturday so that we wouldn’t have to change the plans with them AGAIN. It was actually a good meeting. We did some community mapping and spoke with the chief and the Equipa de Vida there to establish the best location for the pump. We took a tape measure and had an amusing time demonstrating what 30metres looked like as ideally a borehole has a 30m space around it with no buildings and particularly no latrines (see pic). We might manage 15m if we’re lucky. So, this missing piece, having told them we’ll start at 7am tomorrow, needs to be welded and we can’t do that till the welding people actually start work at 8am! Finally, we’ve ordered some small Afridev pieces, predominantly for my work at the lake next week, from Nampula but a couple are needed for this project, and they should’ve arrived on the plan over a week ago. Turns out there had been a problem with the bank transfer – it was registered on the computer but no money had turned up – or something – who knows! It’s all the more frustrating because communication is so difficult that it’s hard to re organise things and the community are ready to start work and are really excited and motivated about the project.So, that’s where I am for the next week, then it’s a quick turn around and I’m off to the lake and up to Wikihi on the Tanzanian border to start the Afridev maintenance workshops. A test of my Portuguese and training abilities. The manual is almost finished.
In other news Peg, Rebecca and I went for a lovely walk on New Years Day (see pic) and we caught 4 mice in the last week! We had no electricity for most of last week which got pretty annoying – when you expect to have it it’s so much worse that when you’re in the field and know there isn’t any! O, and I have a flight booked to come home. I land on 2nd March.
I spent a lot of time reflecting on New Years Eve. It was a beautiful moonlit night and I sat outside between 10pm and midnight listening to drumming in the village. 2009 was an amazing year for me with lots of milestones. I also realised how many amazing people I’ve met in the last year or got to know better, so thanks!
Happy New Year x
Hello Joanne,
ReplyDeleteOur missionary colleague calls it "hurry up and wait".....wonderful time and opportunity for engaging in visiting with others, meditating, writing notes on bits of paper, and listening.
Your work is in my heart.
Hopefully to be in Tete Province around Songo within a few months,
Hugs and Prayers,
ate' ammanha.
Carolyn