It's in "the pipeline" - Day 3

27th May

Day 03

We assembled early in the morning as scheduled. After enjoying an enlightening and thought-provoking devotional lead by Pastor Ricardo and Gloria Sequiera, we gathered together by the installation site to create a list of things to buy for our system. 

Once the list was finished, we boarded a 15-passenger van and went to downtown Managua to shop for materials. The drive was rather enjoyable as the daylight exposed all the nuances of urban Nicaragua. William was our driver today, and he masterfully navigated the busy streets and got us to our various destinations, which included a number of hardware stores and Cafecito.

We returned to the Villa at around 2 o'clock in the afternoon and we got started on finishing the installation. The most pressing issue was to install a check-valve; this will keep the tank from draining in the event that the principal water supply loses pressure (which apparently, happens from time to time here in Managua).

Picture which features the spot where we had to dig and install the check valve

Amy very meticulously dug the ground around the pipe and gave us sufficient room to perform the installation of the check-value. Next, we proceeded to continue to install the necessary pipes, connectors and valves. With our trusty measuring tapes, glue, and hack-saw in hand, we worked feverishly and cautiously.

Since the Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP) probe should ALWAYS be immersed in water when running, a ball valve was installed to allow water to pool at the area where the ORP probe is located

The filters are all placed and ready to be joined with the Ozonator

The results of our work today speak for themselves. Everything we need to finish the installation has been purchased and is ready for use. By the time we wrapped up our work, all we had left to do is to install the serpentine loop, connect the loop to the tank and wire up the Ozonator. In other words, the system IS coming together and in the pipelines, so to speak.

We would like to thank everyone for their support thus far, and continue to strive with us in prayer as we prepare to finish the installation. Also, we will be training the staff here at Villa Esperanza to operate the system on Friday (Day 6). Hopefully, the system would be running smoothly by then.

El Cafecito

Located not too far from Villa Esperanza is a lovely cafe by the name of Cafecito. While this cafe may look like your typical, modern, trendy venue that you and your friends would go to every other day, Cafecito is actually one of Forward Edge's projects here in Managua, Nicaragua.

From left to right: Ariela, Amy, Amanda, Thomas, Ray and Toby

After a hectic morning of shopping for equipment, our team, accompanied by William, came to the Cafecito to sample their selection of coffee and pastries. We sat out by the porch, which commanded spectacular views of a lagoon and the surrounding mountain range. Equally spectacular was the food we ate, including the Cafecito's rich, delicious and decadent "Chocolate Dream" cake (which was eaten up long before it could be captured on film).

 

  The Lagoon and Mountain Range 

The aim of the Cafecito is to provide job opportunities for locals in the area of food service. The staff here have the opportunity to gain skills in food preparation and other business related skills to empower and help them along their career. On board with Cafecito is a local coffee-pressing business that supplies the Cafecito with a special blend of coffee. All of Cafecito's proceeds go towards sustaining Forward Edge's operations here in Nicaragua, including the Villa.

 

Team Members Ray Knepper and Amanda Schneider standing in front of Cafecito's entrance

As our team left the Cafecito, we gained a better appreciation for the work that our partners at Forward Edge is doing here in Nicaragua. We look forward to what they have in store in the future as they continue to operate and set up new projects in this part of the world.

A Hard Days Work - Day 2

26th May

Day 02

This morning we started our work on assembling the VWOS.  Some of our bags of equipment had been held at customs when we arrived, so we started the morning by sending a small group to retrieve them.  The rest of us stayed back at the Villa to get started and do what we could despite the fact that many of our materials were in the bags that had been held.

Amanda and Ray gluing components

The tricky part of the work we did today was that the configuration of the system here will be altered from the one we built at Messiah College.  We had to pay special attention to make sure all the pieces lined up nicely. After all, seconds spent connecting things properly could save us hours of fixing them. 

(There were a number of slip-ups, but they were easily fixed. We may not be perfect, but we are engineers after all.)

Amy cleaning out the tank

Toby cutting pipe

After a lot of running around and with William's help, the team was able to retrieve the bags from the airport. Upon their return, we were able to continue our construction.

The accomplishments of a hard days work

As the sky got dark, we stepped back to appreciate some of the work.  Our accomplishments today include connecting to the water source, adding the pump, adding the tank, and attaching a few filters.  Tomorrow, we are looking forward to adding the rest of the components. Continue to pray for us as we engage the installation and wonderful people here at Villa Esperanza.

Hollow Fiber Membrane

Housed within the Collaboratory's Water Group, the Hollow Fiber Membrane Project (or HFM) is a project aimed at meeting water purification needs within the developing world.

Figure 1: The most recent Hollow Fiber Membrane Filtration System (HFM 2.1) mounted on a wooden board on a wall.

 

This project explores the use of hollow fiber membranes (which are essentially hollow tubes perforated with tiny holes) as a means of water purification. HFM filters do not require electricity to run, and existing water purification systems using HFM filters work well in serving smaller establishments.

Research shows that hollow fiber membranes are effective at disinfecting water, eliminating all impurities larger than .5 micron (which includes most pathogens). The latest setup (HFM 2.1) uses multiple Sawyer bucket filters attached in parallel, a sediment filter and an activated carbon filter. The system is set up such that each filter can be individually backwashed to remove impurities from the HFM filters. As a result, this system has a lifespan of at least 10 years if the HFM filters are backwashed as needed.

The HFM project is one of two projects that our site team is focusing on this summer in Nicaragua. The primary task to be accomplished for this project is to survey a church/school in Leon to determine the suitability of the HFM filtration system. The student working on this task, Toby Mea, will also take water samples to see if additional ultrafiltration of minerals is necessary. 

Our site team is very excited to be partnering with Forward Edge in this endeavor, and we look forward to how our partnership will grow as we work together, serving communities in need.