Building toilet slabs

GOOD MORNING, I hope you are well! In my last Blog I discussed the technical aspect of the job to date. I apologise that the title 'Sudanese Children are Deceptively Good at Football' was slightly misleading.

Sudanese Children are Deceptively Good at Football

To clarify this previous title; I have begun playing football with one of the countless teams. They meet Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays about 1 hour before sunset.

I am not sure if I will ever adapt to their style of football. They rarely pass, going on incredibly ambitious runs around the opposition, and when they do pass, they are usually short and misplaced. In their defence, the reason for this could be the uneven surface they play on. To their credit, they NEVER STOP RUNNING! These are the fittest footballers I have ever played with! To run their distances in this heat, they seem inhuman! I have had to substitute myself twice now, and switch with the goal keeper also (much to the amusement of the onlookers). I say they are deceptive because they are all 6ft+ tall pipe cleaners (SKINNY).

Football is THE BIG INTEREST here in Wadakona. Their football pitch spills onto the dusty road (which is barely distinguishable), and further down the road two other teams can be seen playing! They take it to the next level, some playing in bare feet, still sporting their favourite club shirts; Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona - and lots of 'Totti' shirts (AC Roma star player).

Weeks Re-cap

So the past few weeks has been very interesting, as the team travelled to a place called Ayeth to survey their existing water supply. We knew they were taking water from the Nile, but the distance they were travelling to collect it was humbling. During the wet season young boys travel 1.5km to collect water. In the dry season the collection point turns to mud, and they are forced to travel an additional 1.5km. Using GPS we were able to assess these distances, and develop a water distribution system strategy along with a treatment design.

The community was home to approximately 2,000 people, with an additional 6,000 nomads joining them in the dry season. This number expected to grow around the referendum as people return home to vote. We are hoping to have the system installed before we leave for Christmas.

Life continues in the compound, my Arabic slowly progressing (along with peoples frustration from repeating the same phrases). I wanted to put it to the test on the weekend, so attended the local church which is 100% classical Arabic. I did not understand anything! After talking with the Bishop afterwards he told me the message was about the rich man and Lazarus.

Seeing the church packed with about 500 people reminded me that this was probably what church used to be like in the UK. THE CENTRE OF THE COMMUNITY. A place to meet and chat with your pals.

I realised that I was not the only white person in the county (as I had originally thought). I met Sister Mary, an elderly Irish nun posted at the convent adjacent to the church. I hope to join her for tea at some point this week.

Building Toilet Slabs

So the main project for the past week has been the construction of trial latrine slabs. The significance of these slabs, are that they do not have any reinforcement. They designed as a dome with the knowledge that arches transfer the central load to the abutments. The concrete mix contains more aggregate and sand then usual concrete mixes making it very strong.