This morning was action packed!
Our first stop was by the bank to pick money for the rest of the electrical supplies. While Dave, Michael, and Theresa handled the finances, Brian headed over to the internet Cafe to check in with the home team and do some last minute block making research.
A view of downtown Ndola from above the bank
After the Bank, the next stop Chitenge Shopping!
Among us guys, some concern had developed about our collective qualification to pick out chitenge. Fortunately we were able to set it up so we had Theresa to guide us, and we chose many wonderful patterns!
There was a wide selection of chitenge on offer
What to choose?
Ready to go
Once the chitenge shopping was finished, we headed out to Kantolomba. Theresa had arranged a time for Brian to give a demo on solar cooking panels for the coop and some of the older students. The rainy season isn't exactly the best time to get into solar cooking, but we felt it was a good chance to bring solar cooking into folk's awareness and to show how their math education efforts can lead to some practical skills!
Explaining the geometry of the panel
Improvising a "compass" with a pen and some twine
Laying out the panel. Who needs measuring tape when you have a string and some math!
The finished panel
After the demo, it was time for lunch.
After lunch Francis and Dave spent some time going over the details of wiring the hammermill building for electricity. We hope that work can begin on this soon after the main building wiring is completed .
Having a look at the building
Doing our best "Abbey Road" impression
Working out details under a fruit tree
When we had finished touring the hammermill building, it was time for our Coop board meeting. This was a chance to go over the projects goals and vision with each of the team leaders and to give an opportunity for folks to bring up ideas they have for moving the project forward.
The board meeting
After the board meeting we had a special treat: Beatrice's husband Lingson arrived with a pulumusa stove he'd made by copying the one we lent him yesterday! We were very excited!
Lingson's Pulumusa (right) next to the original
We just had to fire it up!
The new pulumusa worked so well that soon a bidding war was on between Muyunda and Theresa. In the end Muyunda bought the first Kantolomba pulumusa!
After the excitement of the stove delivery, we decided to have another go at creating some compressed earth blocks. Today we had lime, graciously provided by our friends at Castle Lodge, so we could try another method to stabilize the blocks. Furthermore, our efforts the day before had furnished a number of insights into how not to go about compressing the blocks; we hoped to meet with more success today!
Adding the lime
Getting it mixed in
Compressing the block
Everyone gets a turn!
Lifting the block out
The final tally
We ended up with three blocks to show for our efforts. The left and middle blocks took up most of our prepared material, but the ladies were having such a good time that they finished the right block with some unstabilized soil. The blocks stabilized with lime seemed to hold together nicely - unfortunately it will take at least a week of curing to know how good they are!
While folks were working on the blocks, our knitting team arrived to report to Michael on the meditation hall socks project. They had a couple nice looking samples to send to the folks in the US.
In the later afternoon, Dave, Michael, and Francis headed to Masala market again to pick up some more electrical supplies and our new institutional pulumusa. When they returned and unloaded, everyone gathered around to stare - it's a monster!
Measuring out wire at the hardware shop
Putting the last touches on the big pulumusa. Note the completed Mbaula stoves in the foreground: Though the tinsmiths had dozens of Mbaula's ready for sale, ours was the only Pulumusa.
The giant stove commands our attention
On its way to its new home!
While we stood admiring the stove, the guys took the electrical supplies and began installing them.
Putting in a light fixture
After the electrical supplies and big pulumusa found their way to their new homes, we headed back out to Twapia to check in with Friday on the hammermill doors.
Lining up a weld
Putting on some finishing touches
Having seen to it that the door was coming along well, we retired to Castle Lodge.
So ends our last project day on this wonderful and productive trip...
But wait - one last round of cute faces before we go!
Baby Cheri!