Donors (23rd Aug 2006) -
On the road again (28th Aug 2006) -
Can-Lift Pump (May 29th 2006) -
22 metres (May 25th 2006) -
First Well (22nd May 2006) -
DONORS back up
(A note from John and Mary)
23rd Aug 2006
All aspects of the pilot project is being funded by ourselves until we can show a little bit of a track record. We are finalising a structure for the programme, with the assistance of Professor Richard Carter, Richard Cansdale, Anthony Chirwa, Winston Chiwawa, and Br Aidan Clohessy, which we believe, will deliver safe drinking water at a manageable cost and in a sustainable manner to some of the poorest communities in the world. We intend to continue to pay all expenses associated with the programme. If people decide to make a donation, they can be assured that ALL their money will be spent on the actual projects.
People who know me will know that there are no free lunches and I intend to treat our African programme in the same way. I have a dislike for the ‘AID’ mentality. African people deserve their dignity, and far too often they have been given the fish rather than the fishing rod. We will bring a hand up rather than a hand out approach, helping them to help themselves. There will be occasions where projects will be fully funded, but these will be the exceptions. In the Timbuka language of northern Malawi giving and sharing are the same. That is an idea I like and whatever we can bring, we will do in a spirit of sharing.
Assessing water needs in an area can be a laborious task. Setting up a “water committee”, consulting widely and establishing priorities all take time; considering that the whole process has to keep an eye on how it’s going to be paid for (all done in rural areas where there is no phone, fax, e-mail or postal service). Enabling and empowering communities to make a fair contribution to cost gives ownership and we believe ownership is central to future success.
I had a plan in going to Malawi, to ask each Chief of the areas where we were to work, to donate a piece of his land to the community, to enable them to grow crops, sell their produce and pay for their projects and more importantly pay for ongoing maintenance. Research done by Cranfield University in 2004, suggests that only 20% of pumps installed in Africa in the past 25 years are fully functioning. In the three areas in which we are working, the Chiefs have willingly accommodated us with land for our community garden. We will use this funding method wherever possible.
- This “community model garden” should have the following bonus:
A chance to experiment with alternative crops to maize, on which the country has become over-dependant;
- A location where the women and girls, particularly, can learn some horticultural and culinary skills, needed for these, alternative, crops;
- An area to look at simple irrigation processes;
- A place to develop a little entrepeneurship, and the new skills involved with committees, secretarial work, financial matters, marketing, bookeeping and the likes;
- An introduction to organic fertilizer and natural pest control;
- An environment for women to establish some control over that for which their society makes them responsible, like water, firewood gathering, cooking and vegetable growing.
For years, Mary has had a way of looking at development, which she employed in her last school over 25 years;
Go with the people:
Live with them
Learn from them
Love them.
Start with what they know
Build on what they have
But as the best leaders:
When the job is done, the task
accomplished,
The people will say
“We have done this by ourselves”
Lao Tsu, China, 700 B.C.
So far, only a small number of our friends know what we are doing in Malawi and even though we have asked them to wait, some have been very generous to their “cousins” in Malawi.
Maher’s Pump at Doroba in situated about 20 km from Mzuzu and a long way from Lucan. At the moment it is providing 42 families with safe, clean drinking water. They appreciate the clean water and the prayers began immediately.
Donnelan’s Well is a long way from Farm, Co. Roscommon (Ann) but click on the Gallery and you will see how they feel in their celebration. It is situated in the Elamouleni district about 27 km south west of Mzuzu and serves 9 families. Check out “Carrying water” to see the change you have made.
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On the road again back up
28th Aug 2006
On Aug 29th Wells for Zoë return to Mzuzu , Malawi. Their fourth trip is hot on the heels of the successful June 2006 visit and continues their water projects. On this visit the hope is to install up to 30 pumps in three remote rural areas. They will also select sites for spring protection and continue with dam projects.
A good portion of time will be spent helping out another partnership group, CCAP and MMM, who have a grave problem with pumps they have installed over the past 15 years. They are doing wonderful work on pump installation but unfortunately now up to 40% of the pumps are non-functioning. The pump they use, besides having mechanical deficiencies, has a depth limit of 6 metres. We are confident that Richard Cansdale, inventor of the Canzee and CanLift pumps and member of the Wells for Zoë team, has come up with a cost effective solution to the mechanical problems.
The proposal, researched and tested on the last trip, is to replace the “down the well” parts with those used in the outstanding Canzee pump. If the problem is one of depth an option available is to use the new CanLift pump as an alternative, which has been proved successful to a depth of 22 metres.
On this trip the Wells for Zoë team will also further deliberations with SJOG, Mzuzu on the setting up of the pump manufacturing facility there.
On another happy note, the word from Mzuzu is that the harvest was abundant, providing plenty for all!
Wells for Zoë – Water for Life
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MONDAY May 22nd back up
Wells for Zoë - Water for Life - The First Well
Wells for Zoë’s third trip to Malawi will involve return trips to Lilongwe and Mzuzu. The purpose of the visit is to assess the potential in the area for low-cost shallow well drilling and test the suitability of the low cost, low tech, Canzee and Can-Lift pumps.
Dublin, Ireland (PRWEB) May 22, 2006 --
Wells for Zoë’s third trip to Malawi will take place from June 6 to 22, 2006, during which the potential in the area for low-cost shallow well drilling will be assessed. The suitability of the low cost, low tech, Canzee and Can-Lift pumps will be investigated.
Wells for Zoe is dedicated to the provision of safe drinking water and water storage for irrigation in four remote rural areas of Malawi. Set up in 2005, Wells for Zoë concentrates on low cost, small scale, appropriate and sustainable water technology. Wells are hand dug, jetted and fitted with Canzee and Can-Lift hand pumps.
Mary and John Coyne will arrive in Lilongwe midday June 7, while Professor Richard Carter and Richard Cansdale will arrive on June 13. Mary will be back to visit “her ragamuffins” youth group and the rest of the group will be involved in analysing, drilling, and hopefully finding water.
John Coyne of Wells for Zoë: “Today (May 15) I spoke to Anthony Chirwa, at St John of God (SJOG) in Mzuzu, where they are doing the groundwork for our visit. They are still having heavy showers, which are hampering the harvesting. The crop is expected to be very good although at one stage they were worried that the heavy rains may have caused the Maize to rot, but all is well now and harvesting is taking place in the dry periods.”
He also spoke to Ernest Misomali, country director of Self Help Development International (SHDI), in Blantyre where their harvesting is done and they expect the crop to well exceed requirements. This is wonderful news and hopefully there will be no starvation this year.
The principal reason for this visit will be an analysis of the potential in the area for low cost drilling. Initial work will be carried out with the families of the clients of the SJOG mental health project in Mzuzu. Wells for Zoë will try to complement the fascinating “Umsumo Project”, initiated by Br Aidan Clohessy, and his all-African team, in their outreach project areas three years ago. Or as John Coyne puts it, “We will try to slot in, learn a lot, teach a little, and do as much empowering as we can.” Br. Aidan’s view is that “if people have food security, stress will be reduced”.
Wells for Zoë thank Rory McCullagh and the gang in Metweld Engineering for their help on some pretty, low tech prototype drilling rigs, and to all those who have offered to help out. “When we find an appropriate and sustainable package, we’ll be calling on you!”
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THURSDAY May 25th back up
The new Can-Lift pump goes to 22 metres
click here for photos
On May 25 and 26, John Coyne visited the Silsoe campus of Cranfield University, to take part in the drilling and pumping section of the MSc course in Community Water Supply and Sanitation.
His particular interest was Richard Cansdale's input on well jetting and the depth test for his new Can-Lift pump.
“At Silsoe, Professor Richard Carter has a 50 meter borehole which is used for testing. The new pump worked like a dream, everyone had a go at pumping, getting up to 15 litres of water per minute from a depth of 22 metres. We also found that two children can easily work it together, which makes it much easier. This pump will get a real trial in the MZUZU area of Malawi in the next few weeks where “Wells for Zoë” will put it through its paces. It's surprising what a day messing with water can achieve.”
click here for photos
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MONDAY May 29th back up
The Can-Lift pump CAN lift!
click here for photos
In December 2005 we set up our first overseas Canzee Pump workshop in Madagascar. The workshop is being run by our collaborators, “BushProof”, who won a major World Bank award to develop Canzee Pump technology for that country.
The Canzee Pump has been described to me as “The Pump of Choice” in Madagascar. It is performing brilliantly. It is very reliable and also very easy to maintain, but while I was there, it became clear that there was also a need for a pump which was even cheaper than the Canzee – and therefore affordable for single households or very small communities. If the pump was thinner, it could go down narrower boreholes, so at the same time it would be able to lift from greater depths.
So, here was the challenge. Make a pump which was, cheaper, thinner and could go deeper!
Many years of Canzee pump development gave me the idea I was looking for which was to make a multi-stage pump in which a series of very simple valves were spaced out along the plunger rod. Our first trials were over the parapet of our local bridge. We lifted water from nine metres without any difficulty with the valves spaced every metre. We reduced the spacing to every two metres and then to every three metres. The pump still worked fine.
Last week we tested the pump for the first time to our target depth of 20 metres. The well we used for the test has a sealed pipe sunk deep into the ground which means we can pump from whatever depth we want. We therefore lowered a TWENTY FIVE metre long Can-Lift Pump into the well and started pumping with the water level at nine metres. It was easy. Over the next few minutes the pumping got harder as we lowered the water level in the pipe but suddenly we ran out of water. The pump had emptied the well all the way down to TWENTY FIVE METRES.
So, the Can-Lift Pump has passed its first test with flying colours. We will not recommend the pump for lifting greater than 20 metres, but it is encouraging to know that the principle works fine. We now await the results of village trials and evaluation with eager anticipation.
Richard Cansdale.
Hartburn. May 2006
click here for photos
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