This is the first of several posts I (Helen, the Communications Director from the Seattle office) is posting from Soroti during a several week visit. The first stop of course was Beacon of Hope College, just a few minutes away from the hotel.
Director of Education Sam Ocen introduced me and several of the visiting team from Church of the Redeemer in Boston to the teachers of the science department. A science fair is being planned for this week (more on that in a later post). Then Sam showed me around the campus. We visited the just-completed rainwater harvest system, operational less than 3 weeks. The water level in the gauge, a clear plastic tube parallel to the side of a huge black tank, was too low to be seen. That meant the school had almost used up the water collected off the tin roofs of two sides of two long buildings. The city of Soroti had no water for 3 days, and this was day 3. The school survived on the water that had collected since May 31 in the two large (60,000 liters each) tanks. Over those 3 days they used about 40,000 liters total. The water came back on in Soroti, and the water was replenished during a thunderstorm on June 27. The harvesting system was finished just in time for a real life test, and it worked!
The CU-EWB team had to add gutters to the roof edges, ensuring that all were at angles for the water to collect into a main pipe that filled the tanks. They even had to hammer together their own ladders! The gutters emptied into piping that fills the storage tank; the water is filtered, and clean, free water is accessible at two spigots. The system even has an overflow system. With completion of this collection system, the school no longer has to rely exclusively on city water.
The project was two years in the making. The team made assessments during the 2009 and 2010 visits, and swung into action in May 2011. The rainwater harvesting system saves the school significant operating costs, and provides solutions for other water-related problems. Water to the school goes out several times a week, which means the students must walk 5-6 k to get well water, or the school's administration must buy water in town. This takes a lot of time away from studies, and exposes the female students to potential danger. Women, especially young ones, simply are not safe to walk around town after school hours.
Read the CU-EWB team's great blog here. Thanks to Harrison, David, Allison, and all those other CE EWB folks who took part in this. More thanks to Julius, the determined, strong and ever-inventive handyman at Beacon of Hope School! Also thanks for great photos I stole off your blog!
Related Links: Biodiesel and Sustainable Rural Technologies Program
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