Welcome to the Marine Mammal and wildlife Research and Community Development Expedition blog where you can keep up to date with all the happenings and information from Kenya

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

The water boys

Gutters, gutter clips, couplings, outlets, elbows… only a couple of many terms that did not hold much meaning to me not so long ago. For the past three weeks, I have been part of the GVI water project in Mkwiro, Kenya. I have lived on the beautiful Wasini island with amazing people coming from all over the world. Most days were about working, swimming, watching the sunset on afternoons, and playing card games at night. I left the group full of incredible memories.




Our project was simple. Mkwiro is a village located in the southeastern area of Kenya on the Wasini Island. The village is going through a fast growth at the moment and the need for clean water has become a primary concern. Any well dug on the island would only provide salty water, which means the only way of getting clean drinkable water is through rainwater harvesting.



Our team was made up of an experienced plumber, Peter, a young architect, Hugo and me, an engineering student. For two weeks we worked hard, installing gutters on the largest roofs of the village. Hugo mapped out the village’s school and orphanage. And with Peter’s experience we all learned really quickly how to do the job. I followed their lead and tried to learn as much from them as I could. Everyday was a new challenge, and new challenges came with more fun. As the days went by, we became really close to the villagers. They shouted our names as we went by, and had nicknames for each of us. The project went better than we all expected. I met one of the most generous and kindhearted people of my life. The energy that Peter brought to the group every step of the way was what made us go this far. [Suzie you must be mad! Btw!]



Every second of the journey despite the hard work was enjoyable. We did our best to help a village that needed it. Tom joined me this week and is still currently working on the project. Thank you Peter, Hugo, Tom, Shafii and Val for these amazing weeks. I am forever grateful!!



Lolo (Laurit Dide) - Rain Water Harvesting Volunteer - Kenya


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