Day 9-11: Our intrepid students return!

This post combines updates from the three teams that traveled to their respective villages over the past three days and two nights.

This post combines updates from the three teams that traveled to their respective villages over the past three days and two nights.

Weekend adventures in Igomtwa

Day one in Igomtwa

After an early morning breakfast, we said goodbye to our companions and set out for Igomtwa. Our extended Land Cruiser carried us over bumpy, muddy roads until we reached the village. We were warmly greeted at the local church by the pastor and village leader, who welcomed us with a song and a brief prayer service. Afterward, we enjoyed tea and local bread before beginning our tour.

Our first stop on the tour was the town center, where we asked the village leaders questions. We learned about the population, the locations of each sub-village, and the village's water needs. A local map helped us get a sense of the land.

Next, we visited the northern primary school to learn about its current water system. We took water samples from various distribution points to check the water quality. We trekked to the sim tanks that supply the school to mark their location. Afterward, we went to the dispensary (clinic) and collected more water samples. When a storm rolled in, we took a lunch break to wait out the rain.

In the evening, we visited the Southern Primary School to take water samples from their hand-dug well. Ready for a break from work, we headed to the school’s soccer field to play a game with the local children. The five of us defended against a swarm of 40 kids. Despite the help of a very talented young goalie from the village, we couldn’t claim victory. Even with the loss, spending time with the kids was the highlight of our day.

We ended the night with a late dinner and planning for the next day, excited to learn more about Igomtwa.

Day two in Igomtwa

After a good night’s rest, we started the morning with a delicious breakfast made by local women and finished planning the day. We then set out to find one of the local natural water sources, which took us on a short 1-km hike to a small spring. We pulled out the water testing equipment and recruited one of the locals for help.

Our next stop was the highest elevation point in the village, which happened to be at one of the Lutheran churches. The highest elevation point can be used to place water storage tanks, allowing gravity to distribute water to the rest of the village.

The next goal was to visit each of the seven sub-villages, so we set off again in the Land Cruiser. To expedite the process, some students set up a mobile lab instead of unloading the cruiser. Before lunch, we were able to visit the three northern sub-villages. With everyone hungry, we returned to our house for lunch and a break from the hard work.

After lunch, we visited the largest sub-village, and while testing one of the hand pump wells, we were met with a deluge of rain. We took cover outside the community center to wait out the storm with some of the locals. Once the rain passed, we visited the last of the sub-villages and returned to the northern school, where we gifted Jolly Ranchers and pens to the teacher.

After a long day of exploring Igomtwa, we returned to the house for tea, spaghetti, and a chance to reflect on all the information we had gathered.

Our last day in Igomtwa

Sunday morning began with chai and bread around 8 a.m. We then headed to the church, where we observed a lively service with singing and dancing. Shortly after the service, we gave our gifts to the teachers in town to distribute to the children and handed out candy to them. In return, the village gave us cloth and scarves as gifts, and we expressed our gratitude. We joined an auction for local goods, with Peter purchasing several items and gifting them to the elders. After one last game of soccer and frisbee with the kids, we had a pleasant lunch with the pastor, village elders, and our hosts before heading home. A short drive back to Iringa took us to the Lutheran Center, where we ended the evening with dinner and riveting stories from the other groups.

-"Weekend Adventures in Igomtwa" was written by Annemarie Miorin, Santiago Damonte Vegas, and Carly Earnest Miller

Isupilo Adventures

Retracing our route from Tuesday, we took the main road as far as Ihemi before turning off and driving a few kilometers northwest to Isupilo. We were met with a rousing welcome song and a mini parade to the church. After meeting many important members of the village and being shown the house that would be our home for the next three days — the residence of a village elder whose family graciously made room for us — we set out on our first information-gathering expedition: a 2-kilometer hike to see a borehole drilled last November by the government organization RWSA. This borehole was an unexpected discovery in the village, and we hope to either gain information from the surveys and tests conducted during the drilling process or collaborate with the government to build a distribution system from this already dug borehole. However, it is far from power lines, which may make it difficult to adapt to our goals.

Throughout the afternoon and the following morning, we explored the village and sub-villages, visiting and collecting samples from all the water sources we could reach. This included seven working auger-drilled hand pumps from the 1990s and three surface water sources.

One surface source was a clear, productive spring located far from the main village that serves the sub-village of Masumbo. The other surface sources are used only for farmland irrigation, and collecting samples there required hiking, bushwhacking, jumping over irrigation ditches, and wading through mud and reeds. Our intrepid team braved muddy skirts, scrapes, and a path swarming with biting ants. It felt rugged and adventurous until we remembered the pastor was walking with us the whole way in a full suit that looked like it might have been wool. Meanwhile, the pastor and chairpersons called us out for sweating, wheezing, and generally appearing a bit sickly.

After collecting samples and visiting the sub-villages Saturday morning, we met with the village's water committee to learn more about their needs, current practices, and the layout and population of the village.

Each night, we performed the water quality tests Erin taught us, dutifully incubating potential bacteria and recording turbidity, pH, nitrate, and nitrite concentrations. Preliminary results showed that the hand pumps produce surprisingly good-quality water, which gives us confidence that a future system would provide clean and safe water. After our duties were completed, we passed the time by trying to teach the locals to play cribbage—though without much success—and sharing stories from the day.

On Sunday morning, we ate a quick breakfast before driving up the road to the church. The leaders of the church greeted us, and then all the students came to the front to introduce themselves in Swahili. We were given the seats of honor and invited to sing and dance alongside the locals. The service ended with all the students awkwardly dancing their way out of the church. On our way out, we thanked and gave gifts to everyone who served us during our time in Isupilo. The locals went to great lengths to make us feel welcome, and we are grateful for all they did for us. As we bumped down the road in reflective silence, it was clear that our time in Isupilo was not only productive but also an unforgettable experience.

-"Isupilo Adventures" was written by Ashlyn and Anton

Wazungus wandering Wimbe

Village day! We woke up Friday, ate breakfast, and off we went to our villages. Team Fireblasters (Nick, Jordan, Austin, Maria, Matt) headed to Wimbe—about a three-hour drive. We had no idea what to expect. As we began to weave through the hills and wave to the many watotos (children) along our path, we almost reached our destination when we were stopped about 200 feet short of the Wimbe pastor’s house, where we were staying. A serenade of song and smiles greeted us as the local villagers welcomed us into their home. Over 100 people helped us feel at home and made it one of the coolest experiences we’ve ever been a part of. “I almost cried,” said Jordan. We had a home-cooked meal with the chicken we met out front (quite literally) and got to work. Throughout Friday and Saturday morning, we realized that the only water sources in all of Wimbe were natural springs. This made for a fun and crafty hiking adventure throughout the village.

We went up and down the hills with a bump, bump here and a bump, bump there—here a bump, there a bump, everywhere a bump, bump (seriously, it was a rough ride in the Land Cruiser)! We ate delicious stews and saw unbelievable views. As we rolled into Saturday afternoon, we realized that Wimbe was far bigger than we originally thought, spanning almost seven kilometers with over 2,000 people. We decided it was best to meet with several village leaders to establish priority distribution sources so the majority of the scattered households would be served. The water committee was made up of village chairpersons, elders, local government leaders, pastors from different churches, and teachers from local schools.

After the water committee meeting, Team Wimbe went out for a drive with two of the subvillage leaders to mark the desired distribution points. It was perfect timing as the Fireblasters caught some beautiful views as the sun set. It was like a stormy sea of green in a shining bliss of heavenly citrus.

Once the sun set, Team Wimbe discussed the possibilities for water solutions in the subvillages over dinner. We slept very soundly that night, or as Pastor Msigwa said, "lala fo'fofo," meaning "slept like logs.

The next morning, Team Wimbe had the opportunity to experience the Lutheran Church Sunday service. The service, led by Pastor Nelson and Pastor Msigwa, was an incredible cultural experience filled with beautiful singing and dancing. Our team contributed to the musicality of the service by performing "Amazing Grace" for the congregation. Our singing was questionable, but our effort was there! At the end of the service, an auction took place, and Team Wimbe won beans, honey, eggs, chickens, and a goat, which was formally named Derek.

Shortly after the service, Team Wimbe said an emotional goodbye to the newest Team Fireblasters member, Derek. "I almost cried," said Nick. We made our way back to Iringa and enjoyed our first shower in a few days! We reunited with the other two teams and shared stories over dinner before calling it a night.

- “Wazungus Wandering Wimbe” was written by Jordan White and Nick Kuffel