Hi all!
Sierra Leone Water Systems here with our first blog post of the year! Did you know that Sierra Leone is on track to be considered “Ebola-free†on November 8th by the World Health Organization? After being declared Ebola-free, NC State and Engineers Without Borders-USA (EWB-USA) will then be able to lift the travel restrictions currently preventing our travel to the Dele Village Learning Center.
This past month has been busy for the Sierra Leone Water (SLW) team. We have been cleaning up loose ends in regards to our well design, which we hope to implement in the near future. This has involved revising design documents in collaboration with EWB-USA as well as having communication with our in-country Sierra Leone partners. This work has been lead by members Vini Taguchi (BAE) and Claire Poole (BAE).
In addition, we have been actively searching and applying for grants to help fund the first stage of implementation (mechanically-bored well) and to proactively fund our next stage (water pump, piping, and storage system). This work has been led by member Nora Onstad (BAE).
Lastly, we had a great project team showing at the EWB Southeast Regional Conference, which was hosted by our chapter earlier this month. Members who attended include Vini Taguchi (BAE), Nora Onstad (BAE), Risa Sayre (ES), Kaitlin Crenshaw (MAE) and John Merrill (ENE).
Our plans for the coming month include continuing to apply for grants and trying to receive project implementation clearance from EWB-USA.
If you are interested in becoming involved with the Sierra Leone Water Systems team, hearing more about our project, or are interested in learning how to contribute financially, don’t hesitate to contact us at slw@ewbncsu.org!
Until next time,
SLW Team