Meets 8:00 pm Monday nights in Anderson 306
Description of Project
Our goal is to provide the Shilongo Village in Mbale, Uganda with access to a supply of clean water that they can trust. The village with a population of 850, more than half of which is children, currently has only one clean water source for the entire community. The water in the three other main water sources is not safe for drinking. We have set out to provide a sustainable solution to the current dilemma the community is facing through the implementation of a new water filtration system. Tufts EWB will assess the needs of the community through community health surveys and water quality tests. To work on this project, Tufts EWB has partnered with the Foundation for Development of Needy Communities (FDNC) located in Mbale, Uganda.
Progress
Summer 2011: In August, a group of five students and our professional mentor traveled to Uganda for a Tufts EWB implementation trip. A water storage tank along with a bicycle pump attachment was put in place at the community’s main clean water source after a year of planning and designing. Throughout the building process the community members voiced their opinions on how adjust the designs to best fit their needs. With their help the team successfully implemented the system and the community took full ownership of the project. The team also performed a community health workshop with the children of Shilongo to teach the kids about clean water and health issues. This school year the group will focus on creating a health booklet to give to the community and will make preliminary designs for slow sand filtration, rain water catchment, and a bicycle pump improvement to show the community and get feedback on. With the help of the community members a new project will be created for implementation next summer.
Summer 2010: In June, Tufts EWB made its first assessment trip in the Shilongo Village in Uganda. On this Tufts EWB met with local government officials, recorded GPS data, took water samples for testing, conducted health surveys, m analyzed the soil profile, and measured flow rates of the streams. The group met with the leaders of Shilongo to discuss the direction of the project and receive feedback on the previous week’s activities. With the community’s help, the list of project options was narrowed down to four: water storage at the main borehole, water storage at one of the three main springs, rain catchment, and setting up the infrastructure for generating income via brick making. Several community members eloquently expressed their gratitude for the help and the work that Tufts EWB has been doing. The people expressed that Tufts EWB’s presence and partnership has given them the chance to improve their village. The level of community organization and commitment to the project was impressive.
During the final week in Shilongo, Tufts EWB gathered as much pertinent information as possible about the potential projects. The group continued water flow rate testing and land surveying, and met with the community to assess their priorities. The community decided that water storage at the borehole was the most important need of the village. Thus, Tufts EWB will focus on providing water storage at the borehole for the people of Shilongo.
Trip Reports
For more detailed information about each of our trips, including health survey results, water quality results, and construction diagrams and calculations, please feel free to download any of our trip reports:
June 2010 – Post Assessment Report
Meeting Information
For the Spring 2011 semester we will be meeting on Tuesday’s at 8pm in Anderson Hall, Room 210. Drop by if you are interested in joining our group!
Contact Us
Feel free to contact the project leaders with any questions:
Erin Coonahan - erin.coonahan@tufts.edu Cristina Trevarrow - cristina.trevarrow@tufts.edu