Advances in the water issue

So, the last week the work has been pretty hectic for me and Andrea (yes for most of the time that is his name here, the “s” doesn’t really come through for the Swahili speakers). Almost from the day we arrived, it was clear that the hospital was in need of a new pump for the drilled well that supplies the hospital and parts of the village with water. The current pump is old, ineffective and often breaks, which results in water shortages for the users. A new pump could for the short term ensure a more stable (and hopefully increased) water supply, even though a further increase in the supplied volume has to be established for the long term. Therefore, the recent work has mainly focused on finding an entrepreneur that can carry out the tests we need to be able to decide on the specifics for a new pump.

Yesterday we reached a conclusion regarding which company to work with, and in the end the choice was fairly simple. Out of three entrepreneurs found, one company did not have a pump of sufficient capacity, and another (a governmental agency for drilling and dam construction) gave a sloppy and unprofessional appearance. Needless to say we decided to work together with a third option, a local water and environmental developing company based in the regional capital Shinyanga (only 15 km from our village Kolandoto) called Wedeco. At the moment we are waiting for Wedeco to confirm the details in the contract we proposed to them. Then we will find Dr. Katani, the medical doctor in charge, to sign the contract before we have a ride arranged by the hospital for us to visit Wedeco a fourth time this week to finalize the deal. If everything goes according to the plans, the pump test will be done tomorrow, updates on that later.

In other news, the recent two days has been some of the hottest yet, well over 30 degrees at midday. Also, our next door neighbour has one or several roosters that remind us – load and clear – once ever other minute that it is still there. The lust for Coq au Vin has never been greater...