Life in Africa

A new friend of mine recently told me, "There is no hurry in Africa.", which I have come to learn is true today. I woke up with a precise schedule of what needed to be accomplished, and it started by being in town at 9. However, by the time 9:30 rolled around we still hadn't left yet. Once we made it to town and started checking things off my list, I was reminded of just how much longer everything takes here. Before I knew it, it was lunch time. In an effort to get things done more efficiently, in a very American way, I turned our lunch into a business meeting by arranging to meet with Noel. Noel has been our contact in Uganda regarding the entire solar array installation. For those of you reading who don't know, the two new schools we are constructing will also be equipped with solar power. Below is what the schools will look like when they are complete with solar panels!

After a successful lunch, we paid a visit to the local Poly Tank Factory. Poly Tank Ltd. provides large water storage tanks. Mwebaza School has two tanks that collect rain water from the school rooftops. This water is vital to the school and the success of our projects. Without it, lunches won't be served, chickens won't be fed water, gardens and orchards won't be watered, bathrooms won't be cleaned... you get the idea. Moreover, it is important that the water in these tanks are clean and debris-free. However, I noticed that the pipes connecting the roof to the tank didn't have any filtration system and there were open areas of the tank where bugs and other things could fall inside the tank. So, we met with the Poly Tank experts who agreed to come out and evaluate the situation tomorrow. On that note, I will leave you until tomorrow.