Solar Powered Water Pump Updates

by tuftsigl
May 22
Colin McCrory, Aaron Forrest, Jenny Hamilton, and Lily Cocoran are members of Tufts’ Engineers Without Borders (EWB) doing project implementation in Mbale, Uganda.
Mulembe! For us in Africa, it has been quite rainy for the past few days, but despite getting stuck in Mbale or under the gazebo at the borehole, we have been able to get stuff done. A word from our project leader Aaron: “The things we are doing are relatively good and I predict that we will finish probably exactly when we are done.” I know that update was loaded with detail, but let me elaborate a bit. The solar panels are up and running! Yesterday we connected the motor to them and the motor/bike setup successfully pumped the borehole! Now we just need to tweak the system a bit to make it more efficient. We’re in Mbale looking for new parts that will make everything run more smoothly. It’s super exciting seeing this whole project come together and I’m so happy that we will be able to provide an easier, faster way for the people of Shilongo to get water. Aside from the great progress we are making on the project, I have also learned quite a bit of Lugisu. I can proudly say that I can now count to ten, tell you where I’m going (if where I’m going is the borehole, home, Mbale, bed, or for a run), and ask Jenny if she is sleeping (which comes in handy after 7:00 PM when Fred and Rogers are telling us stories). Ok, well I guess that’s all! We’re going to head back to the village soon to start preparing our American lunch (it’s spaghetti, which is really Italian but that’s close enough)! Bye bye!
-Lele (Lily), Chemical Engineering 2016 and Colin McCrory, Biology 2015, Tufts EWB

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