tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76370985634385312822024-03-21T14:33:26.547-07:00Ghana Sachet Water FoundationPUC: Ghana Sachet Team 2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/18063580629638914134noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-42944224417931994212012-06-28T22:14:00.003-07:002012-06-28T23:58:23.915-07:00Conclusion<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is my final post! I am currently typing this in the US.
Right now everyone is home except for Jeseth, who will be travelling for a few
weeks. She will return to Patriensa in mid-July to assess the status of the
business and to bring home some Food and Drug Board-approved sachets. Right now
our team is working on a few reports to pass on to our corporate partners and to
any PUC teams who may work in the community in the future. Soon our work on
this project will be complete and we will go our separate ways. </div>
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<br /></div>
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It’s been more than a month since we arrived in Ghana, and I
still can’t believe we accomplished as much on the ground as we did. It’s been
more than nine months since the team started the project, and looking back, we’ve
come a long way since then. I’ve actually only been on the team since January and
I’ve invested a lot time and emotions on this project, but I can only imagine
how the other team members feel. And even more so for the community who’ve been
waiting years to see this project to reach completion. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This whole project has been very fulfilling to me. From an engineering
stand point, it has been a valuable experience. None of my 130+ class hours
have really prepared me for this trip. It was surreal to find myself haggling
with a mason who could barely speak English over a cement slab. Or wandering
through the busiest market in the second largest city in Ghana trying to find
parts that I didn’t even know the American name for. They don’t really offer courses
for those kinds of skills at a university. I think the most gratifying moment
was seeing the finished tank stand, which was one of my only responsibilities during
the design portion of the class. I had spent several late nights designing and redesigning
the structure on software I had never used before, but it was a good feeling to
see a tangible fruit of my labor. It was an even better feeling knowing that I
had used what little skills I have to benefit a community.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Culturally speaking, this trip has been invaluable. I don’t
have much experience traveling; not even within the US. I had a lot of
misconceptions about Africa coming into this trip. One was that everyone was poor,
starving, and unhappy. Although there are some countries in Africa where this
may be partially true, in Ghana, this is not the case. Every child I saw had a
smile on its face and a plump belly. Another thing I heard before the trip was
that Africa was too dangerous to travel to. Although there are several nations
still facing war, genocide, and child slavery, Ghana and many other African
nations, are very peaceful, and have less crime and violence than many western
countries. As our driver George told me, “Ghanaians don’t fight with guns; we
only fight with our words.” Furthermore, this trip has forced me to appreciate
the luxuries we enjoy here in the US. More importantly, I’ve realized how unnecessary
those luxuries are in order to live a fulfilling, joyous life. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Overall, I consider our stay in Ghana a success. Not only
were we able to enrich our academic and cultural awareness, but we were able to
help out a community that needed support. The two semesters of planning and
engineering we invested were worth the pay off. Also, I have confidence that
Patriensa Pure Foundation is in good hands. Between the community, the board of
directors, UT faculty, and future student teams, I feel that this foundation
will continue to benefit Patriensa and UT for many years to come.</div>
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<br /></div>
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That’s all for now. After I update the old posts with
pictures, this blog will probably be inactive unless a new team takes over. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Thanks for all the support,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Matt, Kristina, Jeseth, Kim, and Caroline<br />
<br />
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</div>Matt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-56417835611477946492012-06-19T11:39:00.000-07:002012-06-19T11:39:51.008-07:00Day 27 – 18 June 2012<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Monday was our last day in the village. Although I wouldn’t
really call it a day since we left before 10 am. On today’s agenda, we planned
to load up our vehicle, visit a mining company who would possibly be our first
major client, and say goodbye to people who had helped us throughout our stay. </div>
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George showed up to pick us up nearly an hour before we
anticipated; a huge relief, given that he is sometimes an hour late. After
breakfast and some last minute packing, we loaded the vehicle and followed
Nana, Pastor Kofi, and Degraft (who were all in one car) to the mines. We had
met a manager of the mines during our ceremony last Saturday and he had
mentioned the possibilities of a partnership between PPF and the mine. We
brought with us 10 of the bags of sachets we produced the night before. </div>
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We eventually found our way to a conference room, meeting
with the director of the mines and some other important leaders; who, I think,
were all Australian. We spent about half hour explaining the structure of PPF,
both the sachet and sawdust projects, the communities role, and the partnership
with the University of Texas. The men seemed pleased with our presentation and
looked interested in working with PPF, most likely as another funder of
community projects. </div>
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<br /></div>
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After the successful meeting, we followed Nana’s car for one
final surprise. They led us in the middle Konongo Market to a seamstress’s
shop. They told us that, as a gift from the community, we would be given
traditional clothing. Jeseth and Kim received traditional dresses, while Gordon
and I each received a shirt. My shirt is an array of blue and green patterns,
with white outline, and gold colored stitching. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After these exchanges of gifts, we said our final goodbyes
to Nana Kontihene, Pastor Kofi, and Degraft, and drove away towards Accra. In
Accra, Gordon will be dropped off at the airport to catch his flight back to
Texas. Kim, Jeseth, and I will catch a bus to the eastern highlands of Ghana
for personal touring. We plan to spend a week visiting waterfalls, mountains, a
monkey sanctuary, and spending some quality time on an isolated beach. I
probably won’t blog about any of that since it is my break from the project and
summer school. I plan on writing one final article when I get back, reviewing
the whole project and updating the blog with pictures.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yebishe Byo,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Matt</div>Matt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-47959523742254018592012-06-19T11:32:00.000-07:002012-06-19T11:32:53.747-07:00Day 26 – 17 June 2012<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Sunday was our last day on site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our goal today was pretty simple; we wanted
to meet Degraft at the building and make 15 bags of sachets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before this, we planned to have lunch at Nana
Kontihene’s house. We assumed that he would call us after he got out of church
and maybe pick us up at the hotel. We waited for his call. It was until around
3 pm he called asking why we never showed up at his house. We explained the
miscommunication, so he gladly brought the food to us. His wife made us palava
sauce on yams. Palava sauce is composed of a leafy vegetable, onions, spices,
some other stuff, and fish. The palava sauce had and interesting flavor and was
a good way to mix up our usual meals of jollof rice. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After lunch we look a cab to PPF. When we arrived Degraft
was already in the production room making sachets. One of the goals for tonight
was to make sure that he knew how to run the machine and pack sachets. Of
course now we knew he had no problem doing that. While there, we helped him
make more than 450 and sachets and then pack them in the 30-count bags. This
whole process took us less than thirty minutes to complete. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After making the sachets, we decided to spend some time
recording interviews to spend back to the school of engineering. We interviewed
Degraft and each member of the team. We each talked about how this project had
impacted our lives and what we learned throughout the trip. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After this we called Dennis, our favorite cab driver, to
come pick us up. It didn’t take him long to show up, but we still had to hand
off some things to Degraft to make sure the final bits of construction would be
completed after we left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was raining outside
and our clayey property was getting soft. When we got in the cab, Dennis spun
his tires in the mud when trying to take off. We were stuck. At this point it
was about 7 pm (it gets dark here around 6 pm) and continually raining. We had
our team, several kids, and Degraft pushing the car, but it wouldn’t budge.
After about 20 minutes of discussion, in Twi and English, and after a few men
had showed up to help, we devised a plan to get the car out. First we used
shovel so dig out some of the mud surrounding the tires. Next we planted
several boards and rocks behind the tires of the cab; we were conveniently
stuck near a pile of scrap lumber and large rocks we accumulated after cleaning
the site. Finally we had a few people lifting up on the tire wells and several
people pushing the front end of the car. After much struggling, Dennis drove
the car free of the rut and we on our way home. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Looking back, the night was an appropriate way to spend our
last moments on the PPF site. Everyone worked together, through language
barriers, and achieve something that was previously impossible without proper
planning and extra help from our neighbors. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Matt</div>Matt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-33101171945251908502012-06-19T11:28:00.000-07:002012-06-28T23:54:16.939-07:00Day 25 – 16 June 2012<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Greetings, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Saturday was the big day. Today we would be introducing our
project to the community. Not that we they didn’t already know about it, but it
was the official handing over of the project from the hands of the student team
to the community. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We arrived on site early to find Francis already in the
production room making more sachets. We tasted one of the newer sachets and
decided that it tasted better, but still had a familiar taste from yesterday.
Of course not everyone shared my opinion. Gordon tasted the water couldn’t
taste anything bad. We decided to leave it up to Nana Kontihene to decide if
the sachets were acceptable to give away at the opening ceremony. We thought if he liked them, everyone else
would have to like them. We gave him a
sachet, he tasted it, and approved. We decided to pull aside the sachets from
Friday night and produce more to replace them. We put them in a closet so that
no one would mix them with the good sachets. We then flushed the machine one
final time and produced about five more large bags of sachets and put them in a
refrigerator so they would be cold for the ceremony. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We then continued to help clean the building and the site so
that the property would look nice for the ceremony. They brought in a few
canopies, about one hundred chairs, and a sound system. A DJ began playing some
fun music for the kids to Azonto (a new style of dance popular in Ghana). The
ceremony began around 11 am.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The ceremony was very traditional. It started with the
elders and special guests paraded in and led to their seats. Nana Kontihene was
dressed in a royal fabric, with articles of gold (probably not real gold)
jewelry and crown on his head. A man followed him holding an umbrella above his
head. After everyone was seated, an elder poured a glass of some kind of drink
and began pouring it out on the ground. This tradition was to honor the
ancestors. He would say a name and then pour out a little, offering a drink to
those in the grave. Next, everyone stood up, and pastor led us all in prayer.
Next several different people came to the front to give their remarks about the
project, including members from our own group. </div>
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After a few speeches, we gave a tour of the building. We ran
the machine and handed out a few sachets. Everyone was impressed with the
machine and thanked us for our work. After the quick tour, everyone returned to
their seats and proceeded with the ceremony. This time women were passing
around the cold sachets to the congregation. Everyone was pleased with the
sachet water. I tried another and could no longer taste the funky cardboard
flavor. After a few more speeches, Pastor Kofi said a final prayer and the
ceremony was adjourned for refreshments (soda and crackers).</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
After the ceremony, we were invited to have lunch at the
palace with the elders. It was here that I had my second try at eating fufu.
This time around I was prepared and had a better idea of how to eat it. I
enjoyed this fufu more than the first bowl I had nearly a month ago at the
restaurant, probably because I had grown accustomed to Ghanaian food.</div>
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After lunch, we returned to PPF to help clean up the site
after the ceremony. We hung around there for a few hours until dinner time when
we had a special dinner with the board. After dinner we had a quick board
meeting to reflect on the day, and talk about our accomplishments on the
project throughout the summer. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Overall, I consider our project to be a success. The ceremony
was well received by the community. We had finally produced some quality
sachets and completed most of the construction of the facilities. Our primarily
task was complete. Secondly, we had prepared the business for the final stage
of the start-up. We are confident that the foundation is in good hands with
Degraft and the board of directors, and the business consultant will be a huge
asset in starting our non-profit business. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s all for Saturday. I hope to post this soon. I still
have to recall our final days in Patriensa; so, stay connected. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Matt</div>Matt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-30398243852387143672012-06-19T11:22:00.000-07:002012-06-28T23:52:03.757-07:00Day 24 – 15 June 2012<br />
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Majo, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Friday was another big day. It seems that a lot of tasks get
pushed backed to the end of the week. This was especially true in our project,
with our most productive days on Friday and Saturday. This Friday we arrived on
site early to paint our tank stand. We wanted our tank stand to depict our
business as a community owned business, so Kim had the good idea to get
children to put their hand prints on the stand. First we needed to paint the
stand white for a bright background. We were also eager to paint because it was
one of the only tasks that we felt we could complete on our own, without hiring
labor. Unfortunately this wasn’t true. We had a local painter come to mix the
paint, something that is not usually done in the US, so we really had no
experience. After mixing the paint, the painter insisted on sticking around to
paint the stand. We had four brushes, so we all pitched in to paint it white.
We needed to have it painted in the morning so it would be dry by the time kids
got out of school. Later in the day, kids came and we had a fun time putting
green and blue hand prints all over the tank stand. </div>
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While leaving the tank stand to dry, we worked more with
Degraft to finish the manual for the sachet machine. We realized how hard it is
to put in writing all the small steps needed to create one sachet bag, but the
manual would primarily be used as a reference for the employees. During their
actual training, it would be much easier to give them a hands-on course for
running the sachet machine. </div>
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<br /></div>
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After lunch, Francis, the man who installed the machine and
the hydraulic system returned to site from Accra. We had planned for him to
arrive in the morning, but of course on Ghanaian time, people tend to show up a
few hours later than planned. Francis had come to make any final repairs and
insure that the machine would produce clean water. He immediately got to work
flushing out the system, cleaning the residual carbon from the activated carbon
filters. We soon started producing clear water, however there were several
brown slimy particles floating in the water. We couldn’t figure out where they
were coming from. After a while he opened up the MP-12 unit which is a bolted
shut steel canister that contains several ceramic filters. We unbolted the lid,
lifted the housing panel to find that someone had set the filters in there in
their original cardboard packing. The inside of the unit was a soupy mess of
cardboard and plastic. After about 30 minutes of cleaning the filters, removing
the cardboard, and reassembling the unit properly, we were producing clear,
clean water. </div>
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Although the water looked fine, we still need to taste it.
Francis tasted the one of the first sachets produced and said it was fine. We
tasted it next and disagreed. I could still taste the funky odor of the old
cardboard in the water. But Francis insisted that it tasted fine. He continued
to produce about 5 large bags of sachets, each bag holds 30 sachets. The water
would be used the next day at the opening ceremony of the building. We decided
that we didn’t want to distribute the sachets we thought were bad, so we
decided to come back early the next morning to flush out the machine and
produce more sachets. It was beginning to get dark and starting to rain, and we
still needed to get dinner at AATI; so we called it a day.<br />
<br />
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</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Friday was full of mixed emotions. We were really proud of
our tank stand that we had primarily painted on our own. The tank stand would
be a great reminder to anyone who passes by the building, that it was a
community owned and operated business. We were also pleased that our machine
was running well, with our own plastic and our name on it. However we were
vastly disappointed that we had still yet to produce a sachet that met our
standards. The sachets were completely safe and many people didn’t notice the
taste, but we were afraid to give away any sachets that may not be up to our
standards, and risk giving the business a bad image before we even truly
started production. </div>
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<br /></div>
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We went to bed knowing that the next day would be a critical
moment in the viability of our project and of the community business. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Matt</div>Matt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-31353835294852938392012-06-19T11:17:00.000-07:002012-06-19T11:17:05.145-07:00Days 20-23 – 11-14 June 2012<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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This was another slow week, so I’m lumping together Monday
through Thursday. Our biggest accomplishment of these few days was completing
most of the business purchases. We were able to go to the Konongo market with
Degraft and Ofori to buy office supplies, cleaning supplies, and other small
items that we lacked in the building. Degraft is currently the only employee of
PPF and is officially the assistant manager, although right now he serves as
the manager. We talked to a carpenter and asked for him to make a desk, two
chairs, and two stools. The furniture would be finished on Friday. We also
ordered some bricks for a sidewalk we are planning to build. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Asides from business purchases, we also started creating
business procedures. Degraft had already typed up a standard procedures listed.
This document will be posted on the doors and walls of the building so the
employees will be aware of what is expected. The document still needs to be
approved by the Ghanaian Food and Drug Board. We also started creating a manual
for the sachet machine that describes how to install the plastic, turn on the
machine, and replace the various filters. </div>
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That’s about it for these four days. I know I looks like we
haven’t done much, but a lot of the tasks are slow moving and take a lot of
time. At this point in the project, there are not a lot of hands-on things for
us to do. There is still a little construction, but we just oversee the
contracted labor to ensure that everything goes smoothly. We spend a lot of
time preparing for the next phase of the project which is to start the
business. Since we are not business majors, we are just preparing to hand off
the project to a business consultant to use the facilities that we provided to
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Medaci,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Matt</div>Matt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-7190849389049111972012-06-17T04:30:00.002-07:002012-06-17T04:30:52.514-07:00Day 19 – 10 June 2012<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Sunday was an easy day. We started off by going to the
Methodist Church with Nana Kontihene. Like the Presby church, the service
lasted several hours, was entirely in Twi, and was full of singing, dancing,
and offerings. After church, Nana took us to his home for lunch. His house was
probably the nicest I had seen in the village. It was made of concrete, had
tile floors, large rugs, a television, radio, refrigerator, and other household
items you would find in a common western house. For lunch, his wife had made us
eto, a dish with boiled and mashed plantains, topped with fresh avocado, hard-
boiled eggs, and roasted ground nuts. We had never had eto, but it soon became
our favorite Ghanaian dish. </div>
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After lunch, Nana took us to the PPF site to watch some construction.
However while there, some people had been complaining that the water tasted
bad. We tasted it and realized that the chlorine that we put in two days before
was still very present in the water. Luckily the tank was only about a quarter of
the way full, so we attached a hose, and begin draining the tank. The process
went much smoother since we had installed a drainage valve last time we drained
the tank. The tank took about an hour to drain. Unfortunately there were not many
people around to gather the water, so most of it was wasted. However, the kids
still had a great time playing in water. To them it must have felt like a water
park, relieving the summer heat. After the tank drained, we turned the pump
back on and let the tank fill with fresh, un-chlorinated water. We tasted the
water again, and thought it tasted fine. We had some community members try it,
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That’s about it for Sunday, thanks for reading.</div>
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-Matt</div>Matt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-64886235538134587342012-06-17T04:28:00.001-07:002012-06-17T04:28:49.953-07:00Day 18 – 9 June 2012<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Good Morning,</div>
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<br /></div>
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On Saturday we spent the day in Kumasi so make a few
purchases, and visit a few people. Kumasi is the second largest city in Ghana
and is only about an hour’s drive from Patriensa. There were about 10 of us
loaded up in Ofori’s tro-tro. Ofori is the local driver that we contracted for
our travels around Patriensa. A tro-tro is a small van, about the size of an
old Volkswagon, which serves as a city bus. Tro-tros seem to be the mode of
transportation or choice in Ghana since they are relatively cheap and they run
quite frequently. The occupants of our tro-tro included our 4 team members,
Nana Kontihene, Pastor Kofi and his wife, a woman who I didn’t know, and the
driver and his mate. </div>
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At our first stop in Kumasi, we dropped off the lady I
didn’t know, and then I never saw her again. I guess she was just a regular
passenger. Next we visited a few truck dealerships. PPF needs some sort of
method of delivering its products to vendors. The ideal method is a big truck;
however there is not much money in the budget. So first we must examine our
options by checking prices of different types of delivery modes. </div>
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After visiting several dealerships, we had lunch. At lunch,
a man named Kofi had met us to discuss the Global Summit. The Global Summit is
an annual conference that focuses on developmental projects. Pastor Kofi and
Nana Kontihene had been invited to speak at the Global Summit after they had
spoken at the African Summit a few months ago. Everyone seemed pretty excited
for the opportunity to broadcast our project on such a big stage; however we
would have to raise funds to travel to London. There is no money in our budget
for the trip, since we just learned about it this summer. We decided to pay the
registration fee, since it was refundable, and begin the process of raising the
money for two plane tickets to London.</div>
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After lunch, we met another important man, Nana Ohene, the
head chief of Patriensa. The head chief is 96 years old, yet still has the
humor of a child. He owns and runs a hotel in Kumasi, owns several cars (which
he often drives), and has several homes across the world. Nana Ohene bought us
drinks, and then we sat and talked for about thirty minutes and then he thanked
us for the work we are doing in his village. </div>
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After leaving Nana Ohene, we made one last stop. We had to
order the plastic for our sachets. We still needed to be approved by the Food
and Drug Board of Ghana, so we couldn’t order our official plastic with the
seal of approval; instead we ordered a simple design that had our name. We
needed the plastic to start running our machine and producing enough sachets to
give away to the community so that our product would be known about in the
market. The sachets read “PATEX,” the name chosen by the board that is a combination
of Patriensa and Texas.</div>
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After ordering the plastic, we drove home, had dinner, and
called it a day. That’s all for now, I hope to get this out soon.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Matt</div>Matt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-57607795025347179862012-06-14T01:11:00.001-07:002012-06-14T01:11:13.772-07:00Day 17 – 8 June 2012<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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Maha,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Friday started early. We arrived at PPF around 8 am because
the Kontihene had called for a community work day. When we arrived there was no
one there. Jeseth and Kim walked to the village center to talk to the community
while Gordon and I stayed at the site to start cleaning. Soon several women
began showing up with brooms and other cleaning supplies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While women were cleaning the inside of the
building, the young men and I cleaned up the large debris around the plot. There
were several concrete blocks and planks of wood scattered around the site. By
10 am the site was cleaned and the community members left. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Prior to this, George had come in the morning from Accra to
pick up the Sawdust Team. We were expecting him to bring chemicals provided by
Francis to clean the tank. However this didn’t happen. So after the community
work day we were devising a way to clean the tank without the specified
chemicals. We finally decided to ask someone at our hotel, where we could find bleach.
I didn’t know this, but bleach is just a solution of 5.25% chlorine and water.
So the hotel staff led us to a super market in Konongo Market where we found a
bottle of bleach. After successfully finding the bleach, we took a cab back to
the school for lunch.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After lunch we walked back to PPF to clean the tank. First
we had to drain the tank. We wanted to save as much water as possible, so we
gathered trash cans and filled them using a hose we had attached to the tank.
Then people noticed what we were doing and started bringing their own bowls and
pots. The little water that was wasted was sent down the trenches we dug
earlier in the week to the roadside ditch, so our property wouldn’t be muddy
and the recent cleanliness of the building would be preserved. It took about
three hours for the tank to drain. After the tank drained, we installed the
overflow pipe. Then we had to put the bleach in the tank. We did some
calculations and found that putting on galloon of bleach in our 10,000 liter
tank would make the chlorine concentration of the water to be about 20 ppm
(parts per million). On average, the chlorine content in US water systems is
around 10 ppm. The chlorine would have no adverse effects on the community,
however it would definitely be noticeable by taste and smell, especially since
the people here are not used to having it in their water. With this information
in mind, I climbed a ladder, sat on the tank, and dumped the whole bottle of
bleach in the tank. After adding the bleach, we turned the pump back on and let
the tank fill back up while we had dinner.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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We returned to PPF after dinner to shut off the pump. We
arrived about three hours after we started the pump. The water had not reached
our top sight tube, so we weren’t sure how long how much longer it would take.
We needed the tank to fill to ensure that the chlorine would clean the entire
tank. At this point it was about 7:30 pm and the sun had already set. While we
waited for the tank to fill, we spent time with the kids who hang around the
building. Apparently they hang out there day and night. It seemed that the kids
had even more energy at night; they wouldn’t leave us alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually the tank filled, we turned off the
pump, and escaped the kids to go home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Friday seemed like a really long day, but we were able to
complete most of our tasks that we couldn’t finish throughout the week. That’s
all for now,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Kofi Matt (Kofi is the name for someone born on a Friday)</div>Matt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-11689368059512730062012-06-14T01:09:00.002-07:002012-06-28T23:44:56.026-07:00Days 13-16 – 4-7 June 2012<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Greetings, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I must apologize for my lack of blogging and being behind
schedule. I am currently typing this on June 13th, and I’m not sure when I will
be able to post this article. So in the interest of catching up, and because
not much happened these four days, I’m going to lump these days together. So,
sorry for any confusion.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When we returned from our cultural excursion, we began
taking inventory of the tasks we still needed to complete. We concluded that
our priority was to finish work on the tank. We wanted to somehow clean the
inside of the tank, since someone had left the cover off during our absence. We
also wanted to install some sort of overflow mechanism, so that if the pump was
left running too long, the water could exit the tank without blowing the lid off.
It is important to monitor the water level at all times, so we wanted to
install clear tubing that would indicate the water level. Eventually we
designed a pipe that could serve as an overflow and level indicator as well as
include a valve for draining the tank. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another priority was to prepare the business for startup. We
needed to write manuals for each of the components of manufacturing so that
whoever is employed could maintain these systems without us. We also need to
establish systems for sustaining the day-to-day business operations by creating
procedures for everything from accounting to cleaning the facilities. Also, at
some point in our stay, we needed to purchase furniture and office supplies to
transform our empty building to a respectable business. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In accomplishing these tasks, these four days weren’t very
productive. One day we went to Kumasi to purchase equipment for the overflow
pipe. We found most of the supplies but could never find any clear tubing. We
decided to make do with 2 foot piece we had left over from the sachet machine
installation. We would use about one foot at each end of 7 foot-long pipe so
that we can at least see when the tank is almost full and almost empty. We assembled
our pipe with drain valve but could not install it until the tank was drained. We
planned to drain the tank on Friday. We chose this day because we could get
Francis to send us supplies from Accra, and we had enough time to announce to
the community that the well would be inoperable. Until that time we prepared by assembling the
pipe attachments, digging a trench for the access water in the tank, and making
sure we had taken all precautions so that the communities water source could be
functional again as soon as possible.</div>
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On a side note, our companion team, the Sawdust Initiative,
would be leaving early Friday morning. Thursday evening, we had dinner with
them and spent the night hanging out. We would see some of them again during
the school year, however some of the graduates may never see each other again. </div>
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That’s about all from these four days. I promise Friday will
be much more exciting.</div>
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-Matt</div>Matt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-31876126437172875822012-06-13T02:42:00.003-07:002012-06-28T23:40:25.325-07:00Days 9-12 – 31 May-3 June 2012<br />
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Greetings,</div>
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Thursday through Sunday marked our cultural excursion. Both
teams travelled together to the Cape Coast region of Ghana to visit some
historic and culturally important sites. I’ve decided to lump them all together
and outline the highlights of the trip:</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Thursday: </b>We left
Patriensa early in morning and arrived in our hotel in Elmina Bay around noon.
Our hotel was right on the beach, abundant with beautiful landscapes and the
cool ocean breeze. Our first destination was the Elmina bay slave castle.
Elmina Bay is the oldest slave castle in West Africa at 500 years old. The
castle was originally established by the Portuguese for their trade presence on
the Gold Coast. Eventually, the Europeans began trading human beings and the
castle was converted to house thousands of African slaves. We toured the castle
and were able to walk through the dungeons where humans were held captive less
than two centuries ago. </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Friday:</b> In the
morning we left our hotel knowing that we wouldn’t have such nice
accommodations for the rest of the trip. Our first stop of the day was at the
One Africa museum. One Africa is a museum that showcases the history of African
repatriation and the accomplishments of African descendants. After a nice lunch at the museum we trekked
to the Kakum National Park where we would stay the night. First we ventured on
the canopy walk. The canopy walk is a series of bridges made from rope and
wooden planks suspended 40 meters in the air from the tops of trees overlooking
the rainforest. After dinner we were led by a Ghanian botanist on a nature walk
through the rainforest at night. The hike was relatively easy until we
encountered what I thought was a patch of thorns. Instead it was army of
soldier ants strong enough to break skin and make the victim bleed. After about
ten minutes of catching our breath (we tried to outrun the ants) and shaking
off the tiny foes, we continued our hike to the tree house we would spend the
night in. The tree house was 25 meters in the air, away from creatures that may
bother us in the night. The night was surprisingly cold, but everyone seemed to
get a good night’s rest.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Saturday:</b> We woke
up just after the sun rose and descended back to the forest floor. We hiked
back out of the rainforest, this time stopping many times so our guide could
talk about some of the trees and plants that are unique to the this rainforest.
One tree that stood out was called “Ofram,” which had buttress roots that rose
up like walls. Our guide said that when people got separated in the forest,
they would get a branch and beat on the roots like a drum, signaling the lost
person from miles away. After we left Kakum, we travelled back to Accra. In
Accra, we visited the Dr. Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was the
first president after Ghana gained its independence in 1957. Next to his burial
site was a museum dedicated to his life in politics and activism for the whole
continent of Africa. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9G2CQ2TGtewVTxr5U4wem02FQa9v7fSpOurVCCIo2ySs0WywkPUBiYtYR845wfdYw-XHSJ-XXwKdCvYoU1l2oCE6I7UB78IcP-ot8Aud8nkUpm_OwrcWvcrSUt3g-Q2sNkU6Uz13p-Fl/s1600/WP_000203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9G2CQ2TGtewVTxr5U4wem02FQa9v7fSpOurVCCIo2ySs0WywkPUBiYtYR845wfdYw-XHSJ-XXwKdCvYoU1l2oCE6I7UB78IcP-ot8Aud8nkUpm_OwrcWvcrSUt3g-Q2sNkU6Uz13p-Fl/s320/WP_000203.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sunday: </b> We slept in a little later than usual and had
a nice breakfast at the Miklin Hotel in Accra. We soon headed back to Patriensa
and on the way drove by Agbogbloshie, an electronic waste dumping ground. Agbogbloshie is a digital dumping ground where
millions of tons of electronic scraps are dumped each year. Residents of the
city scavenge the site for computer parts and copper by burning piles of
electronics causing toxic fumes and lead poisoning. George, our driver, would
only let us drive by the site and observe from the van, since the surrounding
area is known for high crime rate and poor living conditions. After this
depressing view, we had beautiful landscapes and hilly terrain on the road back
to Patriensa.</div>
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When we arrived in Patriensa from our cultural excursion, we
felt more at home. We are beginning to get adjusted to the simple life in the village
and preferred it to the bustling cities of Accra and Cape Coast. There are only
two more weeks left for the project and we are without our project lead,
Kristina, who left during the cultural excursion to start a summer internship
in Texas. </div>
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That’s all for now,</div>
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-Matt</div>Matt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-52139850106042353042012-06-13T02:41:00.000-07:002012-06-28T23:31:29.239-07:00Day 8 – 30 May 2012<br />
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Majo, </div>
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Wednesday was an important day, since we accomplished our
primary goal of getting water in a bag. We arrived to PPF (the name has
changed, I’ll explain later) early in the morning to wait for Francis and Nana
Kontihene to acquire the plastic for the bags at another factory. The borrowed sachet plastic was printed with
the logo “Trust Me,” with a heart in the center. We thought that was a good
omen. Francis loaded the plastic and let
the machine warm up. We started the machine. The first few feet of plastic
didn’t seal correctly. When the seals began aligning correctly, the machine was
still producing murky, discolored water. After about ten minutes of running the
machine, it was producing clear sachets. We had not yet placed the filters in
their housings, so the water was not drinking quality, but we were sure that
when we are ready, we are capable of producing quality sachets. </div>
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We were able to get water in a bag before lunch. After that,
not much happened. Asides from our technical milestone, we have also reached an
organizational milestone. The business has changed from a small business, to a
non-profit business. Consequently, the name has changed from Patriensa Pure
Enterprise to Patriensa Pure <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Foundation</i>
to reflect our non-profit motive. The
board chose to be known as a foundation rather than other non-profit monikers
because it implies that more can be built on top of it. I thought this was a
great analogy to the work we are doing as civil engineers. Not only are we
worried about the foundation of the building, but the business is a foundation
in the village for more community projects. </div>
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That’s all for now. Thanks for staying connected. Medaci pa
(thank you very much),</div>
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-Matt</div>Matt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-91679968150558635222012-06-06T01:06:00.000-07:002012-06-28T23:29:19.760-07:00Day 7 – 29 May 2012<br />
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Matt took a little break from blogging, so this is from our
assistant lead, Jeseth:</div>
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Hey Everyone,</div>
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Today was the pump changeover day! Early in the morning we
went to Kumasi to get some missing equipment, specifically the part which
connected the pump to the piping we have and filter housing for the sachet
machine. We got Ofori to drive us with Francis early in the morning. We ended
up taking more time than expected trying to find the pump connector of the
correct size. This trip made it very evident to me that we would never have
been able to successfully make this purchase without our in-country partners
and contractors. We ended up going from store to store trying to find this
part. At one point, two stores kept sending us back and forth to one another.
Though frustrating, without Francis being there, we probably would have never
been able to find the right store. Eventually we managed to find the right part
and we were back in Patriensa by 10:30 AM. </div>
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When we arrived at the PPE lot we made the trenches deeper.
Yesterday we had removed the soil that was on top of the trenches. We were
hoping that by the time we got back from Kumasi the community would have dug
them deeper, but as it was not a community work day this did not happen. We
worked really hard to make these deeper, and sure enough as soon as we picked
up shovels and pick-axes young boys were eager to help us. Francis continued to
tie up loose ends until he could get the electrician and welder to the PPE lot
to do the pump changeover. </div>
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A quick overview of the design of the hydraulic system will
give context for today. We are converting the manual hand pump to an electrical
submersible pump. The water will be pumped to a tank and the tank will gravity
feed a community tap stand and also feed the sachet business. One reoccurring
challenge throughout this implementation has been our technical expectations
not being met. Such was the case with the shallow trenches for the piping. When
we chose to redo this, we had no buy-in from our community or contractors and
thus repaired it ourselves. The pump changeover was no different. Throughout
the semester we have been working with our advisors and professors to create a
very sophisticated, technically sound system to ensure the community and the
business maintain their water supply.
One factor which was important to this design was automatic control
switches. This switches, when correctly installed, would ensure the well would
not be drawn down while maintaining a community water supply in the tank. It
also optimized the time the pump was in operation. Once we arrived in country
and talked to Francis we realized the system as we designed it is not available
in Ghana. When it has been implemented it has failed primarily because of the unreliable
power grid. Because of this, we ended up scraping our intended design on site.
We primarily relied on our in-country partners to implement the system. This is
good because they will be familiar with the maintenance of the system and it is
a proven technology. At the same time, as the team member that worked on the
designs, it was very frustrating to feel like my engineering knowledge was not
being used. In completely relying on our
in-country experts we made the following assumptions:</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>We took on faith that well draw-down was not a
concern for our system. Given the ease of our community tap (versus the hand
pump which was there) and that there are 3 taps instead of one, more community
members may begin to utilize this water source. We are also installing a very
water intensive business. Well- draw down may be a concern in the future.<br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>We are relying on local practices to clean the
tank. I was very concerned about doing the pump conversion before cleaning the
tank because the community water supply will probably need to be turned off
when the tank is cleaned. We felt rushed by our contractors because they were
just anxious to leave the job site. Getting them to clean the tank before the
changeover seemed like a battle we were going to lose.</div>
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Even though our contractors do not seem concerned we feel it
very important to have a way of knowing the level of water in the tank. This
way community members that use the tap stand can even inform operators the tank
is running low and that the well pump needs to be turned on. We will be likely installing this system
ourselves after our cultural excursion. </div>
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Another challenging aspect of today was feeling uncomfortable
about the length of time the well was inoperable as a community water supply.
When we first talked to Francis we suggested letting the community know of the
day the well wasn’t going to be working. He assured and reassured us that the
pump conversion would take 20 minutes, maximum. We once again experienced what
I’ve begun to think of as “Ghana time.” It is not necessarily a bad thing but
things in this country take a long time. We average about 1.25 hour waits for
food at restaurants, for example. Francis had incorrectly estimated the amount
of electrical wire attached to the pump. We removed the hand pump and then he
realized the wire was too short. The most frustrating thing was that Kristina
had asked him about this earlier in the day and he said it was enough wire. The community did not have water while someone
went to Konongo and back to buy the wire connect it. The community ended up not
having water from this well for 4 hours. Needless to say, no one seemed
particularly angry or frustrated with us; there are plenty of community water
sources around that they could use. We, however, were frustrated because we
knew we should have trusted our own judgment and insisted upon a community-wide announcement about the
changeover (moreover, we probably should have insisted upon measuring the wire
before removing the hand pump.) The lesson we learned from this was that we
need to have better community-wide communication about our project. We have a
lot of communication with leaders in the community, but we want to ensure everyone
knows about our project. Moreover we do not want to alienate people because we
are removing their water supply of choice for 4 hours without communicating the
reason for doing so. Because of this when we return from our cultural excursion
we are going to request some meetings with the community so we can communicate
who we are, what our project goals are, and ask for interested parties to apply
with the Board of Directors as sachet workers.</div>
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<br /></div>
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By the end of the day we had 18 inch deep trenches, a
community water supply that was working (which was a huge sigh of relief for
everyone involved) and all we had left was water in a bag tomorrow! While the
day was quite challenging and eventful, we learned how to improve our project
moving forward. </div>
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Sorry for the delay in getting this posted!</div>
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Akousia Jeseth (I’m born on Sunday which determines names in
Ghana, therefore my Ghanian name is Akousia, spelling may be completely off)</div>Matt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-77418446609517675242012-06-06T01:03:00.000-07:002012-06-28T23:20:54.362-07:00Day 6 – 28 May 2012<br />
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Greetings,</div>
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<br /></div>
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Monday was a slow
day. We started the day at 9 am waiting
for Pastor Kofi to pick us up to go to the bank. He was two hours late, but fortunately
he had already taken care of the withdrawal with Nana Kontihene, so instead we
just went to the market. After getting a few things from the market, it was
already lunch time, so Pastor Kofi dropped us off for lunch at AATI. After
lunch we walked to PPE to see if any construction was taking place. There wasn’t. We were expecting Francis to
arrive later that day, so we knew we wouldn’t have anything to do until then.
We decided to walk into the village center to watch the Sawdust at work. </div>
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The Sawdust team is another branch of UT PUC who has a
project in the village. Originally, there mission was to use sawdust to from
local sawmills to create briquettes (like charcoal) for people to cook with.
However, about a month before the implementation trip, they completely changed
their scope to making stoves directly from sawdust, without any processing.
After simplifying their project, the team has seen a lot of success. The stoves
they build comprises of materials that people can get for free in the village. They
use cement or clay bricks that are lying around everywhere in the village. They
mortar the bricks together with clay they make by just saturating the ground
with water. The lumber mills have an overabundance of sawdust that allows people
to take freely since they would have to burn it anyway. The sawdust stoves are
great because people in the village don’t have to spend money on charcoals or
spend time harvesting and chopping fire wood from the bush. </div>
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After helping the Sawdust team build a stove for a woman in
the village, we headed back to PPE to meet Francis. We were still lacking a few
supplies to begin the pump changeover, so Francis was working to finish
connecting some pipes at the community tap and the well. The pump changeover is the critical point in
our project where we remove the hand pump and replace it with our new electric
pump. This is a delicate moment because we are taking away an old and proven component
with new technology the community is not completely familiar with. During the
pump changeover, the community cannot retrieve water from the well, so we need
everything in place before it takes place. While Francis did that, we decided
to unearth the pipes that were not satisfied with. We worked hard with shovels
and a pick axe to un-dig about 20 feet of the trench. </div>
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After a few more hours of work, we decided to call it a day.
We planned to leave early the next morning to drive to Kumasi to buy the
remaining equipment. </div>
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<br /></div>
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That's all for now.</div>
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-Matt </div>Matt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-62385349127136598622012-06-01T03:25:00.000-07:002012-06-28T23:15:50.442-07:00Day 5 – 27 May 2012<br />
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Mache (good morning),</div>
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<br /></div>
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Sunday was an easy and restful day. We started the day off
like most people in the village and went to church. We were invited to go to
Pastor Kofi’s church which is the Presby church. The Presby church is one of
the largest buildings in the village. It sits upon a hill and has a clock
tower, so it can be seen from miles away. The service lasted about three hours
and it was completely in Twi. The service seemed like a normal western church
service, although I’m not really familiar with Presbyterian churches. There was
constant singing and dancing with the accompaniment of a small choir, an organ,
a brass section, and percussion. At the end of the service, we brought to the
front to be introduced to the church. Similar to the ceremony at the palace, we
were asked to state out purpose in the community. After that Pastor Kofi showed
up, about two hours late. He was held up because he had to give another sermon
at a different church. </div>
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<br /></div>
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After church we had lunch at AATI. Almost every time I
mention lunch or dinner, we are having it at AATI. AATI stands for Asante Akyem Technical Institute and it is school for high school aged kids. We go
there twice a day for a cheap food and we get to talk and hang out with the
students. They also have a wifi internet connection that runs relatively fast
when it is actually working. Our typical meals consist of Jollof rice (similar
to fried rice, but with a fish sauce) and chicken. Occasionally we are treated
to fried plantains or cocoa yams. </div>
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After lunch we headed back to our hotel for a little rest
and then we walked to the street and hailed a taxi to go to Konongo market.
Konongo is the city that our hotel is in, about 10 minutes away from Patriensa.
Our cabbie was young, hip guy with a very clean car. He had installed a stereo
and was playing 90s R&B music like TLC and Destiny’s Child. He dropped us
off in the middle of the market and soon realized it was not as glamorous as we
had hoped. We were hoping to find some souvenirs or at least some cold drinks.
However, it seemed that most people closed up shop on Sunday and what were left
was mostly people who sold dried up fish or used shoes. Soon an old women began
walking next to us speaking in Twi and occasionally a few incomprehensible
English phrases. We ignored here but she continued to follow us. We think she
was trying to serve as a tour guide and then ask for money after a while.
Finally we reached a shop that sold cold drinks that we frequently visit. The
young man working there told us that she was a little crazy and then told her
to leave his shop. She didn’t leave but we looked out to the street and saw the
same cabbie who had drove us there ushering us to his car. We weren’t sure if
he waited for us the entire time or just happened to be there. As we got in the
car the old crazy lady wanted to ride with us. “Dabe, Dabe,” we all said and
drove back to the hotel singing to 90s R&B again. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Nothing much happened that day asides from the usual dinner
at AATI. We got back to the hotel about 8pm, much earlier than normal and had
chance to relax. A lot of us called home and talked to our families or gotten
things like laundry taken care of. Sunday was a nice day of rest; letting us
recharge for the upcoming week. We hope that we can finish the hydraulic
construction this week and switch from the hand pump to our new submersible
well pump. We are getting really close to getting “Water in bag,” as we often
say. Even after we complete the technical side of the project there will be a
lot of work to do. Our goal is not just to get water in bag, but to establish a
business that can sustain itself.</div>
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<br /></div>
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That’s all for now, I hope I can get this out soon.</div>
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-Matt</div>Matt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-6660945619554986512012-05-28T06:02:00.002-07:002012-06-28T23:13:58.097-07:00Day 4 – 26 May 2012<br />
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Maha (good afternoon),</div>
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<br /></div>
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Saturday was a relatively slow day. We set off in the
morning around 10 am to a sachet factory about 20 miles up the road from
Patriensa. Our goal was to check out their facilities to get an idea of what
our final product should look like. Unfortunately when we arrived we found that
the factory is not open on Saturdays; however Nana Kontihene was with us, so
the manager of the factory opened it for us anyway to look around. They have a
much larger operation than we are building ours for. This factory had six
sachet machines, two delivery trucks and produced nearly 10,000 sachets a day. When
we get our business up and running, we will have one sachet machine that will
produce 1,500 sachets a day and we are still trying to figure out how to
distribute them. The tour around their factory gave us a good idea of the
furnishings we lacked to truly make out building into a business. </div>
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<br /></div>
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On our way back to PPE, we stopped in a small village to look at cocoa beans. After Nana Kontihene spoke with the farmers, they were
nice enough to take us into the forest and show us their farm of cocoa trees
and explain how they are grown. First, saplings are cared for in a separate
garden until they are mature enough to produce a cocoa pod. We noticed that
they were using thrown away sachet bags to hold together the roots and soil of
the saplings. Next the saplings are planted in the forest where it takes about
6 years for a cocoa pod to sprout and mature. After picking a mature pod, the
farmers break it open and take out the beans. The beans are then covered in
leaves in a large pile for seven days to begin the drying process. After seven
days, the beans are taken back into village where they are assorted, selected,
and dried for seven more days. Finally the beans are shipped off to be
processed where they will become chocolate, coffee, or products like that.</div>
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Next we returned to PPE where Nana Kontihene had a meeting
with the Queen Mother and another important person (we had no idea who). Before
the meeting, he mentioned they were planning to put large cement slab in front
of the building, something we had never planned or budgeted for. But the
conversation was quick because he had to attend the meeting. The meeting lasted
nearly 2 hours. While they were meeting, we sat around outside and watched the
masons finish a slab outside for repurposing and some touching up of the community
tap. The mason began to cover up some plumbing that we wanted exposed until we
could test the pump. Kristina approached them saying. “Dabe, Dabe, we want to
wait.” (“No, No, we want to wait.”) However the mason continued and covered the
pipes. </div>
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<br /></div>
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We never really expected him to listen to us since they were
asked to do it by Nana Kontihene and also we knew the piping was done by
Francis and there shouldn’t have been any problems. However the issue made us
think about our roles on the project and consider our effectiveness on the
construction site. It seemed to us the community did not recognize as an
authority or even as engineers, but rather they probably us as a source of
money, or even worse as just Obruene tourists. This can be expected though because
we don’t get to present ourselves to the community as a whole but rather to the
leadership. So the average community member or construction worker may have no
idea why we are here. Although we could always talk to Nana Kontihene or Pastor
Kofi to influence a particular person, we thought it would be better to engage
ourselves in the project more by doing more hands-on activities, by talking to
more people about the project and our roles in it rather than just chatting and
trying to learn Twi, and by asserting ourselves more as technical authorities,
since after all, we spent two semesters planning and designing the ins and outs
of this whole operation. </div>
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After Nana Kontihene finished with his meeting, we talked
again about the cement slab. They wanted the outside to be cemented so that
people wouldn’t track dirt into the building and because it looks nicer. We
really hadn’t budgeted for a slab this big, although we did have some extra
money from other budget items, however we didn’t want such a large slab. We
compromised. We decided to put cement around the perimeter of the building to
cover the septic pipes and create a sidewalk from the driveway to the steps of
the building. Since that negotiation went well, we asked him about the shallow
pipes that we were not pleased with. We asked if we could lay the electrical
conduit from the pump in the same trench as the pipe, and since we would re-dig
the trench anyway, we could make the trenches deeper. Nana Kontihene agreed
with the idea and said we could do that on Monday when Francis returns. I was a
small issue, but I think it was a big victory for our team, since we were able
to assert our presence on the project.</div>
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After that we walked to the school for dinner and a meeting
with the PPE board which oversees our project as well as the Sawdust Team
(formerly Briquette). The purpose of this meeting was to introduce everyone,
discuss the current status of each project, and bring any issues up to the board
for recommendations. The meeting lasted about 2 hours. One conflict we realized
was that the board asked us to raise more funds for the delivery system. We liked
need more money to fund the delivery of the sachets, however we were weary of
requesting more funding from our partners at Afren (an oil company that donated
money to PUC) and UT. We had a lot of success communicating our issues with the
board. </div>
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<br /></div>
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This day has brought to mind problems that we been dealing
with since the beginning of the project. It has been a difficult balance to involve
ourselves in project. We want the community to take ownership of the project.
We don’t want a situation where we provide something that is unneeded or
unwanted that the community will not be able to sustain on their own. This
requires years of relationship between our partners to understand their
sentiments on the project. At same, we can’t separate ourselves from the
project. If we don’t become necessary in the design and implementation of the project,
the community will begin to just use us as a source of money. If we cannot
achieve an appropriate level of involvement, the project may be completed but
it may not be sustained. Our goal is for the community to sustain the project
with little help from us, for 20 or more years. We need to make sure that our
investment continues to benefit the community beyond our short time here.</div>
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<br /></div>
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That’s all for now. We finally got a hold some internet so I've posted the last three days at once, but
I’m still behind on the blog. I hope to find some time to keep everyone up to
date.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Yebishhe biyo, (we will meet again)<br />
</div>
-Matt</div>Matt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-77834035146638447202012-05-28T05:33:00.001-07:002012-06-28T22:50:03.512-07:00Day 3 – 25 May 2012<br />
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Day 3 – 25 May 2012</div>
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Maju (good evening),</div>
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<br /></div>
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Friday was our longest and most productive day yet. We
arrived to PPE (Patriensa Pure Enterprise, the name of our sachet manufacturing
building) at 8:15 am to find tons of people already there relocating a pile of
clay. Friday was a holiday in Ghana, equivalent to our labor day, so no one had
to go to work or school. The clay was what had been excavated when the septic
tank was installed in the ground. We immediately were put the work. Gordon and
I (the males of our team) were handed shovels and began filling wheel barrels
and large bowls and pots with the clay. Kim, Jeseth, and Kristina were given
the task of lifting the heavy bowls of clay and carrying them on their heads to
the front of the PPE plot to be dumped. Community members of all ages were
working with us. Boys of ages 9-15 and a few adult men were responsible for
breaking up the hard clay and shoveling it into various containers. Girls and
women of all ages were transporting the soil across the plot. Usually the older
and stronger the woman, the larger and heavier the bowl they carried on their
head. </div>
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After that, we moved
into the building to watch Francis install the sachet machine and filtering
system. He explained the filtering
process to us. Gordon had worked on drinking water purification systems before,
so he was pretty familiar with the process. I had only taken a class and
studied the process a little so I was eager to learn the mechanics of the
system. Our system has five filtering containers, each of different size pores.
Next the water passes through another tall filter which I think used some kind
of activated carbon. Next the water goes through what was called the MP-12, a large
kettle like container with some type of filters. Gordon and I had never seen
anything like it, but Francis informed us that it killed bacteria. After that
water passes by a UV light which does a final sterilization, killing any
remnants of biological matter in the water. Biological matter like bacteria,
pathogens, and other tiny creatures in water is the leading the cause of death
in the undeveloped world. I believe there is a statistic that says that 4
children die every minute from diarrhea in third world countries. Severe diarrhea can quickly dehydrate a
person and if they don’t have any available clean water to rehydrate
themselves, the diarrhea is fatal. </div>
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While Francis was still installing the filtering system, the
community had started putting the tank on the tank stand. The tank is about 10
feet tall and probably 8 feet in diameter. The tank stand is a cement structure
about 5 feet tall. The men had built a ramp out of a few wood planks and rolled
the tank onto the tank stand. The tank was on the stand; however it was lying
on its side and there was an electrical wire right above it going from a wooden
pole to the PPE building. After much discussion and planning, all of which was
in Twi and incomprehensible to us, the men had devised a way to stand the tank
up on its base, just missing the electrical wires. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWafivFTo4qtTJDTDGOMKHPBoZuIIRD9i696PooiBI3WsOwbNB2JyKIqIsONwC0xvUPpII5kQQFw7ecXHCKjypK8TII-QvwoQ2AYUL-qx5Nx72NPJN7dUrj5OfK9-lXc2__K07VKu0l0Mx/s1600/WP_000025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWafivFTo4qtTJDTDGOMKHPBoZuIIRD9i696PooiBI3WsOwbNB2JyKIqIsONwC0xvUPpII5kQQFw7ecXHCKjypK8TII-QvwoQ2AYUL-qx5Nx72NPJN7dUrj5OfK9-lXc2__K07VKu0l0Mx/s320/WP_000025.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next we took a break and talked to the kids some more. They
had just cleared a patch of sugar cane near the community tap where we had to
dig trenches to lay pipe. They chopped the sugar cane into smaller pieces and
gave it to us to chew. The cane was very tough on the outside, but once I was
able to expose the sugary fibers it was very sweet and refreshing. After the
quick break, we returned inside the building to watch Francis finish the sachet
machine system. In a matter of about an hour he had already installed all the
necessary piping, filters, and electrical finishings. He was only using the
blade of a hack saw, plumbing glue, and thread tape but had quickly finished
the sachet room. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After finishing the inside of the building, he moved outside
to connect a few of the pipes in the trench and prepare them for connection to
the pump and community taps. We helped out by burying some of the pipe. We
realized that the trenches were not as deep as we had designed for. We asked
for the pipes to be 12 inches below grade; however they had only dug the trenches
6 inches. We planned to re-dig the pipe after lunch. But when we returned from
lunch, which lasted about an hour, Francis had already finished the connecting
all the pipe. Because the pipe is connected at the tank and at the community
tap, we can no longer dig the trenches deeper without cutting the pipe.. We’ve
decided as a safety measure we will resurface the ground around the pipe to
ensure that rain water would flow away from the buried pipes to decreases the
possibility of eroding our cover soil. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After finishing work at PPE we returned to the hotel to get
ready for a ceremony in the palace. The purpose of the ceremony was to
introduce our teams to the queen mother and the council of elders. The ceremony
lasted less than an hour but was filled with history, tradition, and merging of
cultures. We started with a prayer (Ghana is predominantly Christian) and then
we stated our mission of the trip for each team. Everyone then introduced each
other; 10 of the elders, the Queen Mother and the Kontihene, and all 11 of the
team members each stated their names in Twi. After asking a few questions about
the history of the village we presented the Queen Mother and the Kontihene
gifts. We wanted to bring them gifts that reflected Texas, so we gave them
barbeque sauce. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the ceremony ended, we walked to PPE to check out any
new construction. The men had nearly completed a roof next to building under
which we would dry sachets for the repurposing initiative. While there, we
noticed our neighbors cooking their dinner. They were in the middle of making
fufu. To make fufu they used a large pole to mash the ingredients of the fufu
and mix it into a consistent ball. On a fire, they were stirring a pot filled
with some kind soupy broth with sugar and other ingredients I’m not familiar
with. We then walked to the school to have our own dinner of chicken and rice.
After dinner we returned home for some needed rest. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our third day was the most productive day we’ve seen since
we started the project last year. We were amazed at the speed of the work with
the help of so many community members. It was especially great to see the fruit
of all our planning and designing throughout the school year and witnessing the
community take ownership of this project. That’s all for now; I’m not sure when
this will reach the web but I hope it finds you well.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
P.S. Sorry for the lack of pictures. I have a lot but it takes to much time to upload one photo. Once I get some reliable internet, I will upload some pictures.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Matt</div>Matt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-71136163141085360722012-05-28T05:23:00.004-07:002012-05-28T05:23:59.724-07:00Day 2 – 24 May 2012<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Hey everyone,</div>
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<br /></div>
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Thursday was another long and successful day! We started the
day off normally with a continental breakfast until we received notice that the
Kontihene was coming to meet us (The Kontihene is the second in command of the
Patriensa village). We had already planned for him to come however he had
arrived more than two hours ahead of time, meaning we had to rush to call
George, the driver, load our things, and sit through the rush hour traffic of
Accra (which is much worse than I-35) to meet the Kontihene who had been
waiting on us. So we were now experiencing the inverse of the theme experienced
on the first day of waiting.</div>
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<br /></div>
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After the Kontihene finished settling the purchases of the
equipment from the previous day, he came with us to sit in more traffic to pick
up Francis, the hydraulic contractor, and make our way to Patriensa. Our van
was completely packed. Our luggage, groceries, and generator took up the last
two rows of seats, leaving only 8 seats for the 9 of us. The drive lasted about
four hours, not including our stop for lunch, and stretched various terrains
like small villages, hilly forests, and about an hour and a half of a dusty
dirt road that was still under construction and abundant with bumps and
potholes. </div>
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For lunch, we stopped at Linda D’or, a popular rest stop and
restaurant in the middle of the route from Accra to Patriensa. The restaurant
had a great variety of international food like Hawaiian pizza, cheeseburgers,
Chinese, and others, as well as traditional Ghanaian food. I was more daring than
on Day 1 and decided to go with fufu. The waiter laughed at me when I made the
order. Fufu is like a huge, unbaked bread ball made from cassava, plantains,
and other ingredients I’m not familiar with. The fufu sits at the bottom of a
large bowl of stew with spicy peppers, fish oil, goat meat, and tons of other
stuff I’ve never heard of. The reason Ghanaians tend to make fun of Obruenes
(white people) for ordering fufu is that it takes a lot of skill to eat. You can
only use your right hand and you are not supposed to chew the fufu because it
has a bland taste. The goal is to dip your hand in the hot soup, pinch of some
fufu with your index and middle finger, and scoop out some broth in your hand
on its way to your mouth. I really enjoyed the soup and the goat meat but had a
hard time swallowing the actual fufu and could never really get a handle on the
whole eating process.</div>
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We arrived in Patriensa around 5pm, just enough time to tour
the sachet building and get to know the community before dark. We began talking
to kids and learning a lot of Twi. I can almost count to ten and say things
like, “Hello, Good afternoon, How are you? Thank you, etc.” After a few hours
of getting familiar with our plot of land and especially our neighbors, we met
up with the Briquette team and drove to our hotel for a good night’s rest.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Our second day was much more relaxed and full of fun times.
After getting better adjusted to the slow pace of Ghana time and enjoying our
time with each other and the local people, we were able to really get to know each
other as well as the community, and settle into our new environment. That’s all
for now; you may not read this until several days after the fact, depending on
when I can find some internet.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Matt</div>Matt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-41524770647984996102012-05-23T16:47:00.000-07:002012-05-23T16:47:07.355-07:00Day 1 – 23 May 2012<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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Hey everyone,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We are finally here! We arrived last night to the hotel
around 10pm and got settled in. Right now we are in Accra, the capital and
largest city in Ghana on the southern coast. Tomorrow we will drive north to
Patriensa, the village we will be working in. Right now Gordon (our technical
advisor) Jeseth, Kim, Ivi (a member of the Ghana Briquette team), and myself
are here in Accra while Kristina (our project lead) is already in Patriensa
with the Briquette team. Besides us, there about 20 other UT social work
students here to attend a study abroad May-mester, so we have plenty of company
including the very friendly Ghanaians. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today was very successful and at moments very stressful. At the
start of the day we immediately realized the common theme of “Hurry up and
Wait,” as we waited on our driver wonderful driver George. Although once he
arrived he had to leave again to get a smaller vehicle for us. Asides from driving
us around George also explains Ghana culture, guides us through the city, helps
us make purchases, and most importantly helps us communicate with the
Ghanaians. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our biggest accomplishment today was purchasing a submersible
pump for the well and a generator. The whole process took about 5 hours even
though someone had already paid for the equipment and it was all the same
store. After a lot of miscommunication, phone calls, and decision making, we
finally left the store with the correct pump and generator. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that, George took us to a restaurant that
served authentic Ghanaian food. I thought the food was great and not very different
from what I’m used to, however I had fried barracuda with fried rice and a
Coca-Cola, which wasn’t as exotic as some of the other dishes. Next we sat in
traffic for about two hours to go back to our hotel to unload our equipment. The
streets of Accra were jammed packed with vendors trying to sell things to people
in the drivers stuck in traffic, small tables and carts selling things to
people walking by, and small shops for people who are intentionally seeking to
buy something. After the long drive, we unloaded the generator and pump and
headed to Shoprite to buy food for our stay in Patriensa. We spent about an
hour purchasing things like 10 boxes of cereal, 28 cartons of milk, 6 loaves of
bread, and 20 gallons of water never really sure if it was enough or too much
for the next two weeks. After filling 3 carts with food we felt we had enough
and returned to the hotel. </div>
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<br /></div>
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We achieved everything we set out to do today, but, I think,
most importantly we grew accustomed to Ghanaian way of life and felt more
comfortable in a land half-way around the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s all for now, but I plan update again
soon, assuming I can find some internet to connect to.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Matt</div>Matt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-39432740374689217572012-05-15T08:39:00.001-07:002012-05-15T08:39:11.811-07:00Almost there!Hey everyone,<br />
<br />
The Sachet team will arrive in Accra one week from today! Our counterparts, the PUC Briquette team will arrive by the end of this week. So hope for safe travels and that we all arrive on time. I plan on updating the blog much more frequently when we get on ground, so stay tuned.<br />
<br />
-MattMatt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-55250030346875829242012-03-25T20:18:00.001-07:002012-03-26T16:33:56.943-07:00Recon Trip UpdateHey everyone,<br />
<br />
Over spring break, two members of our team (Kristina and Kim) traveled to Patriensa to assess the project plot, investigate procurement sources, and meet with community leaders and members. The trip was very successful; we met all of our objectives except for one because of scheduling constraints. Here are some pictures of the recon trip:<br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyXcvwub1i91iYaUwW9Ci2Yn0Bysv5QmUFFKpKNIFrgiV7M-pdLqLFzwvFkRRtmW4ETntM347yd1FQAxVi9y8mk7hUarlId-qaBsd9rJapfqVHf2bQvpPP9Ctc9Z1J8WnDIF0eGBZ_BRs/s1600/recon+trip+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyXcvwub1i91iYaUwW9Ci2Yn0Bysv5QmUFFKpKNIFrgiV7M-pdLqLFzwvFkRRtmW4ETntM347yd1FQAxVi9y8mk7hUarlId-qaBsd9rJapfqVHf2bQvpPP9Ctc9Z1J8WnDIF0eGBZ_BRs/s640/recon+trip+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kim and Kristin with local children</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLg4gaaAXakA2_X1Jv8hB3e4uwEtUH_GjJcH7dswgtJBHYSjxCBde1QIJyfA48uRAOK4xCBWXOSweY6b89u2T17Flm2IR2KIdO9nhZMQ6PGf9RoMHS8bVr7qQrS0Slu3lUT0jLgeOsgzBe/s1600/recon+trip+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLg4gaaAXakA2_X1Jv8hB3e4uwEtUH_GjJcH7dswgtJBHYSjxCBde1QIJyfA48uRAOK4xCBWXOSweY6b89u2T17Flm2IR2KIdO9nhZMQ6PGf9RoMHS8bVr7qQrS0Slu3lUT0jLgeOsgzBe/s640/recon+trip+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hook 'Em!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMCMaEJfLR1lNF_x9pr5j6dj7EKHeVVdLrhF2-lwjgcZQD3dJ44ts2WmG1dpBMByZyKKoRx5eoeu0f9rOU_Fw8D82ZKb_dsfp23HTfur5c1LWiDOZPyo_F2kzamPoieqLsbXeIcApd5lo/s1600/recon+trip+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMCMaEJfLR1lNF_x9pr5j6dj7EKHeVVdLrhF2-lwjgcZQD3dJ44ts2WmG1dpBMByZyKKoRx5eoeu0f9rOU_Fw8D82ZKb_dsfp23HTfur5c1LWiDOZPyo_F2kzamPoieqLsbXeIcApd5lo/s640/recon+trip+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Children playing outside the school. We hope to each our lunches here and get to know to the kids better.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoanXyGwgpRKA97a1-x3BObuQH1p7uPztRId9U7n-CvAQ35yn9Do0NXEQn_w5r37E7uEeGXbZYWJyIG3P9R3ndTVzAitLkSyn1nIbX2YEH-UpNNWK8871C82ZIizmxPgeok372Z0yQ4Bo/s1600/recon+trip+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoanXyGwgpRKA97a1-x3BObuQH1p7uPztRId9U7n-CvAQ35yn9Do0NXEQn_w5r37E7uEeGXbZYWJyIG3P9R3ndTVzAitLkSyn1nIbX2YEH-UpNNWK8871C82ZIizmxPgeok372Z0yQ4Bo/s640/recon+trip+6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kim, our social work student, surveying the plot</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbpiJWzcTAow0hoVNRZ3jj2KTikydY-Pb2ysTS4fTml57HPGwspLyJrap-CUz-ud3CruaxFkk7rlpP5903b4MR2fGuFyX6ZNxhJ7oGDq1JdbECAOdYaqg_RZlZ7rK2htaumd4g-4kVGY9/s1600/recon+trip+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbpiJWzcTAow0hoVNRZ3jj2KTikydY-Pb2ysTS4fTml57HPGwspLyJrap-CUz-ud3CruaxFkk7rlpP5903b4MR2fGuFyX6ZNxhJ7oGDq1JdbECAOdYaqg_RZlZ7rK2htaumd4g-4kVGY9/s640/recon+trip+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A water sachet</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFUxl6JkbKMZbhMb78ZuDgaj-quMhikIQ_MSW7_quFmG7a53fqVHTGUFudf9cGzPma5qMpmA21cEiU4epYCrThMuTueS4tXwBsSb-Ym4gJaYycfe2TUWn_oF5byu1ARDvfZxPkvbXx8lwL/s1600/recon+trip+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFUxl6JkbKMZbhMb78ZuDgaj-quMhikIQ_MSW7_quFmG7a53fqVHTGUFudf9cGzPma5qMpmA21cEiU4epYCrThMuTueS4tXwBsSb-Ym4gJaYycfe2TUWn_oF5byu1ARDvfZxPkvbXx8lwL/s640/recon+trip+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kim, Kristina, Tim Bailey, Nana Kontihene, and children in front of the PPE Sachet building</td></tr>
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<br />
Now we are working on technical designs for the water tank stand, septic system, and hydraulic system. As we get designs finalized, we will send them to Africa so the community can begin implementing.<br />
<br />
-MattMatt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-48170023215373754752012-03-18T11:45:00.000-07:002012-03-18T11:45:28.235-07:002012 Ghana Sachet TeamHere's the new Ghana Sachet Team:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyUBS4C9FML4000MRzP5-iUvJ7zGUIqIxfypahLEX-pdRUELDHChdKMBQL817lKsF3ckVjCCuOhKL6oloO0guae10zKk3PAqtm1REJhw-Yr1d_CIh8WIhqvkU8oUgE8HNW-zaFNSHpb0r/s1600/kristina.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyUBS4C9FML4000MRzP5-iUvJ7zGUIqIxfypahLEX-pdRUELDHChdKMBQL817lKsF3ckVjCCuOhKL6oloO0guae10zKk3PAqtm1REJhw-Yr1d_CIh8WIhqvkU8oUgE8HNW-zaFNSHpb0r/s200/kristina.PNG" width="123" /></a></div>
<i><b>Kristina Baltazar </b></i>- Project Manager<br />
<br />
Junior - Aerospace Engineering<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6UTaGWeFHiDJDhKFNkn-D0WxX5nhYQJdx1xtlyrWXOSQLPV0yAy03cGeB0wuNs_BAhHnu6_YsdyLITaTV_l7fYNjhCIA0cWsAL94uzzcVzMwLr7MSIw6EL7svPHJFxy5wgDDx4_FyImN/s1600/jeseth.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6UTaGWeFHiDJDhKFNkn-D0WxX5nhYQJdx1xtlyrWXOSQLPV0yAy03cGeB0wuNs_BAhHnu6_YsdyLITaTV_l7fYNjhCIA0cWsAL94uzzcVzMwLr7MSIw6EL7svPHJFxy5wgDDx4_FyImN/s200/jeseth.PNG" width="130" /></a></div>
<i><b>Jeseth Delgado Vela</b></i> - Assistant Project Manager and Sustainability Manager <br />
<br />
Senior - Civil Engineering<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7opj6G5noPP8lQVI3RYENmoeQQr30YuGaGghTRBBeVYaJ5QcwdXYsAq6fpfhQDCGsPv5nXzgnynruf-jvVWvv_ymCCH0LOmbJgDAihOZ6xO8pBfLMJuCQPT-_bcqmptXXUXyNEbMtMlhK/s1600/caroline.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7opj6G5noPP8lQVI3RYENmoeQQr30YuGaGghTRBBeVYaJ5QcwdXYsAq6fpfhQDCGsPv5nXzgnynruf-jvVWvv_ymCCH0LOmbJgDAihOZ6xO8pBfLMJuCQPT-_bcqmptXXUXyNEbMtMlhK/s200/caroline.PNG" width="135" /></a></div>
<i><b>Caroline Hunt</b></i> - Risk and Safety Manager and Budget Manager<br />
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Junior - Architectural Engineering<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNl8Db-wBtcAJvHPhr3GRjHcLNSMNPUhdx_i5aIU8pDGZvi3BQLRLotleoOFKDicsiSsAamYMovKe04-YJ4Xm5TwPvT7Rat9maDAqXoFKxwzyYiyfmPrtnmGr_G48-NPqdhobeMyH0t5hQ/s1600/kim.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNl8Db-wBtcAJvHPhr3GRjHcLNSMNPUhdx_i5aIU8pDGZvi3BQLRLotleoOFKDicsiSsAamYMovKe04-YJ4Xm5TwPvT7Rat9maDAqXoFKxwzyYiyfmPrtnmGr_G48-NPqdhobeMyH0t5hQ/s200/kim.PNG" width="126" /></a></div>
<i><b>Kimberly Sammons</b></i> - Communications Manager and Fundraising Manager<br />
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Senior - Social Work <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-ejEFraLOzmaNxwfYWs3DXVwQpSQt0ziq3DaQQ4OCyRCVdBElFFiAdjXGGYUA2z5sWFLJ5LlJRZS79WNHqdCMv-GWf6PprfAcij4Am82iUO2F8j7mE3SnW58Zj85NCVuzv2Ojk8_GRSZ/s1600/matt.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-ejEFraLOzmaNxwfYWs3DXVwQpSQt0ziq3DaQQ4OCyRCVdBElFFiAdjXGGYUA2z5sWFLJ5LlJRZS79WNHqdCMv-GWf6PprfAcij4Am82iUO2F8j7mE3SnW58Zj85NCVuzv2Ojk8_GRSZ/s200/matt.PNG" width="139" /></a></div>
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.44708574986370764"></span><span id="internal-source-marker_0.44708574986370764"><i><b>Matthew Rodriguez</b></i> - Manufacturing Manager and Blog Manager</span><br />
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.44708574986370764"><br /></span><br />
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.44708574986370764">Junior - Civil Engineering</span>Matt Rodriguezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275780295278768320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-82758163454006464572011-07-06T10:26:00.000-07:002011-07-06T10:26:13.932-07:00Sorry for the long delay, but you can release your anticipation nowI am currently typing this update back home in America, which may seem strange considering the project was in Patriensa, but let me explain...the final days of our time in Patriensa were nothing short of mad chaos. We ran more errands than one should ever need to in the span of few days, met with the chief's court, and finished up the last minute tasks necessary to leave our project at a point of satisfactory completion. All that, paired with the very regular storm and accompanying blackout, allowed for little room to go to the tech center and update you on the progress of the project. So, I am doing it now. <br />
<br />
Our time in Patriensa was an incredible whirlwind. When we arrived we knew our orignal scope was impossible and had very hesitant hope that our updated scope was feasible either. But, through encouraging conversations (mostly thanks to Tim, our social work Obronihene) with the Krontihene, Pastor Kofi, and the other members of the Patriensa Pure Enterprise Board of Directors, and dedicated hard work by the team and community members, the 2011 implementation trip was a success. <br />
<br />
When we left Patriensa on June 25th, the building was completely dried in and the Presby Primary School well had running water. The building now has a floor, made of sand and concrete, plaster on the interior and exterior, soffet, an aluminum roof, plumbing and electrical work, windows and doors. We have also purchased the ceiling panels and paint. The Board of Directors is in the process of selecting the well keeper to collect money at the well and alert them when maintenance is necessary, and an initial sustainability plan and maintenance manual has been presented to the Board to use to help ensure accountability and ownership of the well. <br />
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As for where we are now: I returned to the states on June 29th; Mary is in Tansania with her Dad for a wildlife safari, and won't be back until the 9th. After a few days of rest, Tim and Alex Breckel, from the Briquette Team, have returned to Patriensa to continue working on the projects and will be back on the 18th. Tim was left with a sum of the project funds to purchase the floor tiles and pay for the labor costs to install them along with the ceiling panels, painting, and the stairs and ramp that will lead up to the front porch. By the time they leave, the building is expected be be finished. An amazing accomplishment! <br />
<br />
Tim will be returning to Patriensa to do his Master's Program internship from January to May, and will be the main on the ground contact for the continuation of the project. Mary and I have committed to staying with the project to see it to completion, and as of now, there is a very high chance I will be returning for the final implementation of the Sachet and Trashy Bags enterprise implementation. <br />
<br />
Our time was met with immense hospitality, laughter, struggles, frustrations, and joys. It was a whirlwind adventure that would not have been possible without the help of Marty Rumbaugh, Dr. Kristin Wood, and Dr. Christina White, our amazing, selfless technical advisors, Nana Krontihene, Pastor Kofi, Nana Yaw Kwyake, our partners from KNUST, and the wonderful people of Patriena. Thank you all for your time and efforts. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9r81iKQ_6GXMiY4eYmyU5AB9fgFxb2lCB7fujIADe0DYHVmvoudE1oIGrR4Y88KSjkmcaPD1VcFhDyKuaX4HkQcuX6dUh6eM-BPrYv64dmILRorzhKY6P1CLX8F4nm9KapX2f9GSEsE/s1600/beginning+of+building.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9r81iKQ_6GXMiY4eYmyU5AB9fgFxb2lCB7fujIADe0DYHVmvoudE1oIGrR4Y88KSjkmcaPD1VcFhDyKuaX4HkQcuX6dUh6eM-BPrYv64dmILRorzhKY6P1CLX8F4nm9KapX2f9GSEsE/s320/beginning+of+building.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div> The building the first few days we were there.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3S0pA3SDTfQ6vQpfzxDe4k-3MmwllqC1tnL7mfHWpDjZ1Bg2KS3hfem4_O0Xb9AkL1YCQiUR73-ke67H2hTJtXuhcKC16elYl6I5Df5vQuCIcP0NdqIvNjvOSkY_29RLUUy-pgze7EuY/s1600/inside+of+building+in+the+beginning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3S0pA3SDTfQ6vQpfzxDe4k-3MmwllqC1tnL7mfHWpDjZ1Bg2KS3hfem4_O0Xb9AkL1YCQiUR73-ke67H2hTJtXuhcKC16elYl6I5Df5vQuCIcP0NdqIvNjvOSkY_29RLUUy-pgze7EuY/s320/inside+of+building+in+the+beginning.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div> The inside of the building when we arrived.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9fSSYE58OTMYZZruilplXKDYUqyRzTeq9a-hPiMlR2Aw0PVebdKQcJqTiSFNo2IbsqgJxN6m2u8jS5mSlv2UT_1qJ7yuMKMD7AoH8CAHKuXzsBhmXeDVKrlecR59kp3JhhOkgymvnr4/s1600/women+with+pans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9fSSYE58OTMYZZruilplXKDYUqyRzTeq9a-hPiMlR2Aw0PVebdKQcJqTiSFNo2IbsqgJxN6m2u8jS5mSlv2UT_1qJ7yuMKMD7AoH8CAHKuXzsBhmXeDVKrlecR59kp3JhhOkgymvnr4/s320/women+with+pans.jpg" width="240px" /></a></div> Women of the village on community labor day, helping to haul sand into the building to level the floors<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig6SysmGJQ-M5RJVtiaFT-MeUt-Nt3YQdnPLewDOC0RvLHh15E6-zSduX0spc7q8KRDxseZcNECPOqfCfU0HptJbbYaRvEciF8XpaS-IkIKNsqJeFI3i4mW1wJ5d0_uk9TuypKPwKuKsY/s1600/partially+complete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig6SysmGJQ-M5RJVtiaFT-MeUt-Nt3YQdnPLewDOC0RvLHh15E6-zSduX0spc7q8KRDxseZcNECPOqfCfU0HptJbbYaRvEciF8XpaS-IkIKNsqJeFI3i4mW1wJ5d0_uk9TuypKPwKuKsY/s320/partially+complete.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div>The most updated photo I have of the building. Before the final exterior plaster was finished. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPU9Vv2s9G535Zjelax9HtQz3iFLFYtfqhLgYaa1xscwEnrs0ORk20MmeD_YGLe3jSZrHo7_W39Gk2vD6FJ9NAfUhY_Ne_SEOVhIkQG9qjUuEz1iGvirvpGGo60YH6MlnPKR_OnYI-aOI/s1600/fashion+show.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPU9Vv2s9G535Zjelax9HtQz3iFLFYtfqhLgYaa1xscwEnrs0ORk20MmeD_YGLe3jSZrHo7_W39Gk2vD6FJ9NAfUhY_Ne_SEOVhIkQG9qjUuEz1iGvirvpGGo60YH6MlnPKR_OnYI-aOI/s320/fashion+show.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div> Tim with school children when we did the Trashy Bags fashion show.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-lQpP14y2ojwFiv4Hf_MGjlegD8uDQYUXPSW0jJsuAhDqiRH_0f1vv4SJsdKHDECW5c95FscHeRWO41xVQZ0DYON9KkRcAgFX-Av5JpgtgW0tG0MK9zEPrCR_G35UHVI991IxuHpeJQ/s1600/well+working.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-lQpP14y2ojwFiv4Hf_MGjlegD8uDQYUXPSW0jJsuAhDqiRH_0f1vv4SJsdKHDECW5c95FscHeRWO41xVQZ0DYON9KkRcAgFX-Av5JpgtgW0tG0MK9zEPrCR_G35UHVI991IxuHpeJQ/s320/well+working.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div> The Sachet and Briquette teams along with Dr. Wood and Dr. White by the full functioning Presby well.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYbCGto6RNYy7n0vkWvZzzBEZW6kvvIk06Ln8p7Swvf07Q7b6AN-D4IzNpFCR56PDa-DV5hrEXSZKKrxS2B8L1qWWy1lJMgIfxHHjSggvSOvyDkawQdSoQ0BsAL-0uHG3QFO4FL6MzY0o/s1600/hook+em.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYbCGto6RNYy7n0vkWvZzzBEZW6kvvIk06Ln8p7Swvf07Q7b6AN-D4IzNpFCR56PDa-DV5hrEXSZKKrxS2B8L1qWWy1lJMgIfxHHjSggvSOvyDkawQdSoQ0BsAL-0uHG3QFO4FL6MzY0o/s320/hook+em.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div>Hook 'em!<br />
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For now,<br />
KelseyPUC: Ghana Sachet Team 2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/18063580629638914134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-49081020270767437392011-06-18T03:04:00.000-07:002011-06-18T03:13:46.782-07:00So things work a little differently here...Sorry it's been a few days since we updated about the happenings of our project. A lot has been happening here in Patriensa--some good and some not so much. The good news is that our 2nd set of technical advisors, Dr. Wood and Dr. White, arrived...eventually. They had a flight delay which put them into Accra at 3:30 AM. There was a mix up between their hotel driver and our driving service, giving us a few hours of concerned panic, wondering where the heck they were. But, don't fret, they are here and have jumped in fully, adding a fresh pair of eyes and hands to the team. Marty departed this morning after doing an incredible amount for us and the community of Patriensa. We could not have done so much without him.<br />
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The other good news is that masons have been working still, and another room and a half have been plastered in the building, everything is complete with last year's well and the children at the Presby Primary School have running water again. The electrical and plumbing is finished in the building besides the final fittings and installations of the lights and fans.<br />
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Now for the bad news. Our team has found it extremely difficult to work in the business fashion expected of us by UT and not step on the toes of the Ghanaian workers we have been dealing with. Don't get me wrong, they have all been kind and diligent workers, but in America everything has an upfront price and what you see is what you get; in Ghana everything is negotiation. It is not their custom to let you know the cost prior to finishing the work, but rather bargain it afterwards. Unfortunately, because we have a budget we have to fit in and account for, this makes things complicated. The electricians, plumbers, masons, and carpenters we've been working with are not so pleased with our American ways. We've found that our "forcing things on them" has up-ed the price to give us an "Obruenie cost" rather than what it should be. It's been really frustrating and resulted in some really heated conversations, and at this moment, we are behind schedule and over budget. It's been nothing short of a learning lesson and curve for us. With only 5 work days left in Patriensa, we are doing all we can to bring everything into fruition in order to hand off a fully dried in and finished building so that next year the business may be set up and become a thriving enterprise. We are having to squeeze our funds to the bitter drops, and have some heavy conversations, but the Kontihene has been an invaluable resource, neutralizing some situations and stepping up as the face of Patriensa Pure as of now. We are incredibly thankful for all he has done for us and the beautiful hospitality we have been shown.PUC: Ghana Sachet Team 2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/18063580629638914134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7637098563438531282.post-66338181194648670732011-06-18T02:30:00.000-07:002011-06-18T02:30:15.008-07:00Yehn ko! Let's go!6/15/11<br />
It was an eventful day that detoured a little from the original project as the social work maymester students arrived in Patriensa. We organized for all of the schools in the village to meet us at the Presby Church and quickly divided up into teams. We set out, kids in tow, to scavenge the grounds for empty sachets packages and most definitely found some. It became a competition to see who could find the most and the kids ran crazily full of excitement. The elementary school kids I was with were some of the most precious children ever! They wouldn't let me pick up anything and wanted nothing but to hold my hands or fingers and walk, talking to me in twi and giggling when I attempted to respond. We all congregated together to view the Trashy Bags products to build up hype for the future Trashy Bags extension out of Patriensa Pure Enterprise. It was mad chaos, but full of energy and pretty successful. <br />
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It was a really busy day but fun to get to show off our work to the social work students while they were here. The masons got here today and plastered the entire sachet production room and did an incredible job! The electricity and plumbing ground work are laid, the roof is completely finished, the borehole near the building has been analyzed for the depth and flow rate of the water, and the well that PUC put in last year has been repaired to restart the water flow. it's been crazy to see how much has happened in 6 days but there is still quite a bit to do before we leave. Dayee (good rest) PUC: Ghana Sachet Team 2011http://www.blogger.com/profile/18063580629638914134noreply@blogger.com1