Tuesday dawned pretty much at the same time as Monday, we are just south of the equator after all! 18 degrees at breakfast,( Mendazi again, Yeah!!) but as we headed out for our last day of physical labour at the site, you could sense that it was going to go much higher. We immediately set out to move 100 more bricks to the build from the "factory" to finish off the back wall up to the top level. Once that was done, Jane, Corliss and Tammy began scraping the joint line away from the end of the bricks with pieces of granite rock (no cement chisels here!) so that they would fit better end to end. We have been doing this all along, especially since there have been some growing pains along the way with brick fabrication. If there is too much concrete at the fill end, the brick could be 3/8" longer than one that is filled properly. That can cause problems for the next levels. Scraping the joint ridge away helps to mitigate the problem. Since the day we arrived until now, we have seen a good improvement in brick consistency. You must remember that this is the first time for everyone involved in making/using these bricks in Shirati. The excitement is palpable around the Diocese, and even in town people apparently are talking about it. The Bishop's brother is planning on building a new house, and once he saw our results, he asked if he could order enough for his house!
Once the bricks were ready, some of us began placing bricks while others began to mortar more joints that hadn't been covered yet. Meanwhile, beside the classroom build, the Fundi and his helper were cementing the steel posts to hold up the roof for the future brick factory outdoor workstation. By noon, we had pretty much finished placing the bricks, leaving a few difficult ones for the Fundi to fix. The factory post cementing was also completed and we headed back for showers and lunch. Just before we left, Dr. Brubacher and Samwel from KMT Hospital stopped by to see the bricks and state of the build. Both were suitably impressed!
Did I mention that we were surprised by the existence of electric in-line water heaters installed on each bathroom shower waterline when we arrived? Initially they worked great, although Jack felt a slight tingle on his hand whenever he turned his off during a shower. An electrical Fundi was on -site doing more electrical work so we asked him to look at it. In the meantime, Tammy's power was intermittent, so we asked about that. By Thursday last week though, any time anyone tried having a warm shower, a breaker would pop, killing all guest room lights and water heaters. So, back to cool showers which were refreshing after a hot day in the sun, but heart stopping first thing in the morning!
I said that I would talk about Fred today. I don't know where to start. It's one thing to be a visionary and make plans, but when you add "logistics manager" to the job description, it can become overwhelming. Staying ahead of your crew in your planning, all the while supporting them with materials and instructions, and then troubleshooting sprinkled in could wreck most leader's days, but not Fred.
It was Fred who found out about this brick type at a Catholic school 14 hours away from Shirati . They told him that he would never find them in Africa, or be able to source the molds. Well, there are molds in Shirati now, with over 600 bricks made and installed already, with orders waiting impatiently. It is a pleasure working and talking with Fred because of his humble visionary approach.
After lunch we unpacked all the string backpacks that we had brought with us and began to add a notebook, pencil, pencil sharpener, Canada flag sticker, and snack for the Tech School students. The teachers additionally also received a note pad and a pen.
The Tina School Grade 1-3 students were to be given similar backpacks and contents, with the teachers and principal getting additional contents. We purchased notebooks, pencils, and some pencil sharpeners from Connie Magatti's Duka. She is an aquaintance of Terry and Jane's and friend of Lloyd and Erla Koch's. The backpack filling lasted beyond supper, but all were ready to be distributed on Wednesday.
We also played a bit of ping pong just before supper and at the same time Jane and Jack delivered the knitted donated newborn caps to the Maternity Ward. These were a huge success since the Head Nurse lead them through the whole ward until all the hats were gone. Assante sana's all around!
Once the bricks were ready, some of us began placing bricks while others began to mortar more joints that hadn't been covered yet. Meanwhile, beside the classroom build, the Fundi and his helper were cementing the steel posts to hold up the roof for the future brick factory outdoor workstation. By noon, we had pretty much finished placing the bricks, leaving a few difficult ones for the Fundi to fix. The factory post cementing was also completed and we headed back for showers and lunch. Just before we left, Dr. Brubacher and Samwel from KMT Hospital stopped by to see the bricks and state of the build. Both were suitably impressed!
Did I mention that we were surprised by the existence of electric in-line water heaters installed on each bathroom shower waterline when we arrived? Initially they worked great, although Jack felt a slight tingle on his hand whenever he turned his off during a shower. An electrical Fundi was on -site doing more electrical work so we asked him to look at it. In the meantime, Tammy's power was intermittent, so we asked about that. By Thursday last week though, any time anyone tried having a warm shower, a breaker would pop, killing all guest room lights and water heaters. So, back to cool showers which were refreshing after a hot day in the sun, but heart stopping first thing in the morning!
I said that I would talk about Fred today. I don't know where to start. It's one thing to be a visionary and make plans, but when you add "logistics manager" to the job description, it can become overwhelming. Staying ahead of your crew in your planning, all the while supporting them with materials and instructions, and then troubleshooting sprinkled in could wreck most leader's days, but not Fred.
It was Fred who found out about this brick type at a Catholic school 14 hours away from Shirati . They told him that he would never find them in Africa, or be able to source the molds. Well, there are molds in Shirati now, with over 600 bricks made and installed already, with orders waiting impatiently. It is a pleasure working and talking with Fred because of his humble visionary approach.
After lunch we unpacked all the string backpacks that we had brought with us and began to add a notebook, pencil, pencil sharpener, Canada flag sticker, and snack for the Tech School students. The teachers additionally also received a note pad and a pen.
The Tina School Grade 1-3 students were to be given similar backpacks and contents, with the teachers and principal getting additional contents. We purchased notebooks, pencils, and some pencil sharpeners from Connie Magatti's Duka. She is an aquaintance of Terry and Jane's and friend of Lloyd and Erla Koch's. The backpack filling lasted beyond supper, but all were ready to be distributed on Wednesday.
We also played a bit of ping pong just before supper and at the same time Jane and Jack delivered the knitted donated newborn caps to the Maternity Ward. These were a huge success since the Head Nurse lead them through the whole ward until all the hats were gone. Assante sana's all around!
Mendazi for breakfast Samwel, Terry, Dr. Brubacher, Fred Mama Canteen carrying bricks
Mom and newborn with cap Cook Leonida's son Kisare and Jack