This is our last full day in Zimba. An important part of the day is making sure all who need to know are aware of what we did, where we left off, and what still needs to happen. This is particularly true regarding the water project.
The chapel service felt a bit odd because some of the administrators were not present. Before everyone left at the end of the service, Larry made a few remarks to let them know we would leaving tomorrow and to thank them for let us visit to help and for the wonderful experience of being in Zimba with them. He also tried make sure they knew why we come.
After service, Jon, Bob and Larry went to dump chlorine in well 3. Dr. Joan had purchased five boxes of 12 pints of chlorine for the well. Since we didn’t know how much would be needed and hadn’t been able to find information, we decided to use it all. Bob and Jon poured the chlorine down the well, occasionally starting up the pump briefly to mix the chlorine and the water in the well. Larry went to find Mrs. Narienda and George to explain the water sampling and test to them both. He explained that we wanted the chlorine to sit in the well for at least 24 hours, but that it might be best to wait and do the next water test Monday. By then, we thought the chlorine should have killed the E. Coli but if the septic system was continuously contaminating the water then it would have a chance to re-contaminate it by the time they tested. We really hoped this isn’t the case. We asked them to let us know the results either way.
Dr. Kari asked Jon and Larry to try to fix (again) the base of the colposcope. The base that has a swivel support for the post on which the scope itself is held had gotten a chip broken out of it during shipping to Zambia. Elisha or George had tried fixing it when we arrived by gluing the chip back into place, but the glue wasn’t holding and the base wasn’t tight enough on the post to prevent the post and scope from falling over and possibly getting damaged. Jon and Larry were able to McGyver a rubber collar around the post where it joins the base so that it can still be moved/swiveled some, but where the rubber pushes the post back upwards so it cannot fall over. It seemed to work pretty well.
The Jon (mostly) and Larry repaired the drain pipe of the scrub sink in the OR. It had gotten bumped Thursday evening taking a patient to recovery and the connection was broken. Jon managed to cobble together some more or less workable pipes and valves as junctions to get the drain connected and working again. More satisfied customers.
Later, Jon and Bob went over to the storage tank to tighten the pipe from the new storage tank. They were able to straighten it a bit so it wouldn’t leak, but they did not reconnect the pipe where it had been opened to drain it. This would enable someone else to drain the chlorinated water from the well and storage tank before it gets directed to the 5-in-1's when the well is disinfected.
Larry and Jon discussed with Dennis how we thought the tanks could be lowered without too much danger but would require an extension ladder and ropes so the block and tackle could be attached to the new tower in front with the rope connected to a bar inserted into the lid of the storage tank to be taken down. Another rope would need to be attached to the base of the tank to pull back on it as the rope attached to the top and the block and tackle are tightened to tip the tank over and off the tower. The rope around the bottom would be used to ease the base of the tank off the tower so it didn’t crash into the other tower and get ruptured. It seemed like a reasonable plan. Jon and Bob had bought rope for the block and tackle the hospital already had.
Larry spent much of the afternoon writing up notes. He gave the rest of the Crown Ministry materials and one of the two portable computers we brought to Pastor Chikobela.
He also gave copies of water test photos to Dr. Dan. Since the hospital administrator had not been around for chapel, Larry gave reports on the status of the well and water lines to Dennis, Dr. Joan, Dr. Dan, and Mrs. Narienda.
The whole team spent the remainder of the evening packing up for an early departure Saturday morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment