On 2/1/2013 10:21 AM, Joe AutoDrill wrote:
(The metal content is contained in the area concerning the well)

This might be my very last trip to Ghana, Africa as most of the
infrastructure I was tasked with setting up is now in place and the cost
of going is high. ...The resources can be redirected here in the states
to do more good so it was both the best and the worst trip ever for me.
Extremely emotional. I found myself staring off into space quite often
considering the fact that I may never see the people and places again.
But when I wasn't traumatizing myself, I was having a blast doing what I
love to do.

Here are some of the things we accomplished during this trip:

THE WELL: We fixed and opened the roadside well – first clean drinking
water in almost 20 years! The celebration as the water started to flow
was electric! Prior to the opening of this well, the community of around
500 people drank, bathed and cooked with water from a waste polluted
stream.

During the process of putting the well in, we realized that the new well
pump structure had a totally different bolt hole pattern as compared to
the old one. We are talking about thick galvanized steel with 25mm nuts
to hold it in place. Not something you can grab a rock and fix.
Heck... A dremel or even a file would have taken a lifetime.

So... What did we do? We traced the hole pattern from the old
structure on the new one with a pencil, threw the new structure in the
back of a transport and took an hour long ride down into the nearest
town that had a reputable metalworker.

when we arrived at the metalworker's shop, I was worried. I'm
accustomed to the "African way" of doing things. ...You use what works
even if it isn't pretty. But this place seriously had me concerned.
They were working on cars by turning them on their sides so you could
stand next to the underside of the car. The shop was nothing more than
a hastily built wood structure about the size of a garden shed with a
straw roof and ground so soaked with oil and "stuff" that it lacked the
typical red dust that all of the region has.

So... I wondered where the guy's drill press or Bridgeport was. then
he came walking out, looked at the part, discussed the situation with
our folks and walked away. When he returned, he was carrying some
copper wire (I'd guess 8ga but what the heck do I know?) and arc welding
rods and rod holders. He puts the part on an upside-down car hood,
clamps the negative electrode to the hood (not the part?!?) and proceeds
to burn the holes out with the arc welder. Mask? A dark set of sun
glasses. When the holes were close to proper size, he used a tapered
arbor and a large hammer to round them off and final size them.

It took another 40 minutes to find the nuts for the studs at the well
site since they hack sawed the old corroded ones off rather than put oil
anywhere near the well.

Back we went to the well site and proceeded to mount it perfectly.

Ingenuity at its best! ...Even if I did expect the guy to fry his
manhood off accidentally while using the arc welder.

This was a hand pump and the water level was around 60' down. We put in
around 90' of tube and the pick-up end of the pump was well submersed.

when they started pumping crystal clear water out, the hundreds of
people standing around literally cheered and the site went electric with
excitement and celebration. It is one of the most memorable moments
I've ever experienced.

We built a concrete slab to reinforce well structure.

We trained a number of local men on how to maintain and repair the well
structure as part of our ongoing efforts to build sustainability in the
area. They actually performed much of the work as a hands-on learning
experience. It took twice as long, but the lessons learned will serve
the area for generations to come!

THE LIFE CLINIC: A few years ago, we "acquired" a building in the center
of the village that was not being used for anything at all. It was a
1950's built structure that originally served as the Kindergarten
classroom. It hadn't been used for anything in decades so with our
dreams in hand and the village's willingness to trust us, we began
taking over the structure for future use. We repaired it, cleaned it up
quite a bit and re-purposed it as a medical center right in the center
of the community. In late 2012, the nation recognized it as an official
medical facility and "placed it on the map" as we would say...

This center was staffed by a number of my team's volunteers and saw over
150 patients in 4 days. They screened the blood of almost 30 people.
Found 3 children with Sickle Cell, 2 children with Malaria and 1 adult
with HIV. Sent 3 to the larger area hospital (Malaria, HIV and a
pregnant women with low hemoglobin) and saw that they received the more
advanced care they needed.

A number of our friends from the community were present for much of the
time absorbing information on better health practices and habits as well
as basic medical care.

THE SCHOOLS: We gave out new backpacks to the entire Junior High. We
also provided backpacks to the 5th and 6th grade classes.

Our team rewarded all of the top students from Kindergarten to Junior
High with their new bags filled with school supplies.

We were able to send 8 new students to Secondary School with all of the
supplies that they needed. It was quite a moving experience to see this
group of students achieving what was once virtually impossible for any
of the students in the community.

Keep in mind that during my very first trip to the village, the students
lacked things as simple as pencils and paper and as far as we can tell,
none of the students advanced past the equivalent of 6th grade.

Education is key as it empowers the community to grow on it's own. These
students are encouraged to learn all they can and to return back to
their community and build it up from the inside. ...We essentially hope
that our services will not be needed in the future due to their efforts
- and we already see that starting to happen.

We covered openings in the roof of Kindergarten with netting to
hopefully stop a major bat infestation. The children were being
subjected to constant squeaks and noises from what we presume were
hundreds of bats in the ceiling area. Also, the school had an extremely
strong odor from the bat droppings. One volunteer familiar with farm
life said the odor was overwhelming to him and he couldn't imagine
trying to sit in a classroom for hours with that odor present. Recent
reports from the village say we have caught plenty of bats and are well
on the way to providing a safe and clean school environment for the
young children. Once the bats are gone, a clean-up process for the
school will begin.

We enjoyed a massive field day with all of the classes in the village
(over 215 students). It was quite a celebration and the photos and video
footage will start to make their way to our sites shortly.

LIFE: Built relationships that will last a lifetime or longer! ...When
we say that lives are changed during our trips, we are talking about
lives both in Ghana and here at home. You simply can't be involved
without having a life changing experience... The people and the land are
simply amazing. It is often said that the benefits of going on a trip
with AOV are truly addictive!

While there, I was able to take a quick spin on a motorcycle, drive a 22
passenger bus, hike into the bush to an ancient rock formation (looked
for Cobras and Pythons the whole time but only found a giant snail), and
taught the locals about the special joy of eating a "cotton candy" coconut.

If you would ever want to follow our efforts, you can do so via the
www.AdoptOneVillage.org site. Of course, you can always contact me
directly too!

...Now, I'm back, swamped with work and need to catch up. Adios for now
and thanks for tuning in! G



God bless ya' Joe! I bet it feel good to be able to use your talents a
bit out of the usual box.