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From the Field
Bob, Jennifer, Kisioki, and Mesha
Greetings!

I have been here in Tanzania for over two weeks and look forward to another four. My daughter, Jennifer Marie Hankins, joined me here from Fort Collins, Colorado and is participating in all the projects. We are having a wonderful time.
Read below about our latest work with stoves , water, back-up electricity for the Enguiki Health Center, and the new laboratory at Cypress Hill. 

As always, it is because of our supporters that we are able to move forward. Thank you!

With appreciation,

Twende!

Bob Lange
July, 2018
4600 stoves
The core work in stoves and solar continues. Because we stay with the women who use our stove, and don’t just deliver a commodity and run away, we know what the women want, and work continuously on improvements. We are now producing Model Four, which is easier to install than earlier versions. The Maasai Women’s Installation Teams usually take about two hours, including constructing the brick chimney and getting it through the roof.

This model is cool on all sides, including the front, just above where the fuel wood goes. So a child can safely sit near Mom when she is cooking. The life-threatening body burns that were a problem with the open cooking fires are now eliminated for good.

Maasai Women's Installation Team member
Be a part of it
Your continuing interest and support make a difference every day.


Lignin laboratory
We are setting up a laboratory at Cypress Hill. We’ve already put in 12-volt service and a sink. In this photo I'm installing temperature control electronics. This will allow us to hold testing vessels at a fixed temperature for long periods.
The first project for the new lab includes experiments with turning agricultural waste into digestible cow food. Using dilute alkaline solutions we will remove the lignin from the plant cells in corn cobs. In the lab, we'll attempt to determine the temperature, concentration, and treatment time for optimizing the process. Later, we'll use that process in production.
Inside the new laboratory at Cypress Hill 
Since corn is a staple food for people here in Tanzania, there are large stocks of essentially free corncobs everywhere. Turning these into good fodder is a good thing to do from an economic and conservation viewpoint.. And what fun it is to create the lab!            
More safe water
Moving the first of two water tanks
In 2017 the Project installed four chlorination systems alongside polluted ponds. All are still in operation and currently used by 500 families. We continue to distribute the alum and calcium hypchlorite to the water managers. This week we are testing samples for E.coli to confirm water safety.
The Project intends to scale up the work with water, as it is one of the most important health initiatives we have. The stoves are important because of smoke-caused lung disease, but diarrhea remains the main killer of kids out here.

Our region's Member of Parliament knows this as well, and has funds to help with the things he finds most important. He approached us with a plan for him to buy the two tanks for a number of our water sanitation systems. The Project will provide the panels and the pumps. The communities will invest in the rest, including pipes, battery, faucets, and labor.
 
We hope to install eight or more of the systems over the next few weeks. As a major criterion, the community must be well organized, providing a water manager and a plan for use. This is a key factor in the success of the four pilot projects.
Safer births in Enguiki
Up in Monduli Juu, in the hills behind Monduli, where our headquarters are located are three villages. Eight years ago, we launched the Project there.
 
Enguiki is one of those villages. It has a well built dispensary where women come to give birth. However, the building is plagued with frequent power outages that can interfere with delivery safety.
 
When we came up to attend a celebration of the Project and a welcome ceremony for my daughter, the Village Leader asked us to help with that issue.

"Could we provide a backup solar electric system for continuity of light during grid failures?"
 
We went directly from the celebration to the dispensary. Together with the medical staff, we assessed the needs of the essential areas. We agreed that we would provide design, labor, and the panels, and they would buy everything else, including batteries, controllers, and switches.

Once the preliminaries are completed, it doesn't take long to install the system. We hired an experienced electrician who chose and installed the switch that goes from grid to solar-system and back. Now it is a simple matter for the medical staff to make sure that when power fails all inessential lights and machines are turned off.

With the installation completed, the dispensary can now admit women in labor, knowing that even if the power fails, labor can proceed safely.