This project has been completed under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteers Marcie Todd and Adrian Martinez. To read about the beginning of the project, CLICK HERE.
Marcie reports:
Though Saare Bidji has electricity, they have no cell phone service and so we could not call before the installation to let them know of our arrival date. Regardless of whether they were ready or not, we packed-up the car on Wednesday and headed out for the installation.
When we arrived the town felt empty. There was hardly anyone to be seen and this usual bustling small town felt like a ghost town. As the team started to get to work I went searching for the President, but instead found his right-hand man Bocar. He informed us that it was the first day of school and that everyone in town had gone to help clean up the school before the start of actual classroom sessions.
Once 11 am rolled around and the installation was mostly done, we started to see teachers dressed in slacks and button-up, kids in their best outfits and moms rushing to heat up the morning snack. The air of the town felt uncannily similar to my lower school days.
As the kids were walking out of the school compound they rushed over to see our morning’s work. A few stuck around as we finished the job and drank the morning ataya. I couldn’t have asked for a better, simpler, lovelier installation for our last pump of the project.
Pump Output: 40 Liters/ Min
Total Number of People Benefiting: Approximately 480 men, women and children
Funder: We again express our gratitude to Autumn Staats for funding this project.
