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Tag Archive for 'PlayPumps'

Chongwe Community School and PlayPumps

Published
on June 29, 2008
in Trips and Zambia
. Comments

Today was another sleep-in morning since the bus took off at 9 AM. After a half-hour drive into a more rural part of Zambia, we arrived at Chongwe Community School.

Photo from LSZ '08
20 straight rows, no tape measure

A group of adults and students greeted us next to the old brick buildings and the PlayPump that was a main attraction of the grounds. They welcomed us and then ushered us towards a cleared field. We were instructed to set up a grid system using sticks and rope and to make 20 holes using hoes for each length of rope. The task looked impossible at first because the ground was rocky and had heaps of broken corn stalks strewn across it. We split into groups of fours with two people holding the sticks and string in place, one person creating the 20 holes, and another person relaying watering cans back and forth from the PlayPump.

Photo from LSZ '08
A pump that’s also a plaything

We soon developed a relay system in which a few people pushed the PlayPump around, full of happy children, to create a decent flow of water (PlayPumps work by spinning a merry-go-round that creates enough energy to lift and clean the ground water and then push it out a hose nearby), while others brought the full buckets to the field (often copying the African women and balancing the water buckets on their heads).

Photo from LSZ '08
Ellie carries water

The task took only around two hours as we worked as a team to clear the field, sow the seeds, and water it all. The best part was, however, watching an organization’s, like PlayPumps, ideas be used to help others. We hear about these grand ideas of setting up elaborate plans to end poverty or cure disease, but one rarely gets to see those ideas in action. Today, the LearnServe team witnessed the water purifying system of PlayPumps being used to supply Chongwe Community School with a vegetable garden to supply the children with healthy, sustainable food.

Photo from LSZ '08
An audience

As we pushed the PlayPump around, we were also able to play with the children. We picked them up and repositioned them as we pushed them around and around. The kids never got bored of the spinning while most of us hobbled off dizzy and a little nauseous after just one spin. The garden was finally finished and we packed into the bus again. The children grabbed onto our hands and waved at the bus as we drove away. Even though today was just a short session, it was still very fulfilling and fun to see a new set of children and set them up with a brand new garden.

Sara, a student at Holton-Arms School

Note: the team will not have internet access for several days, so there may be a pause before the next update!

Pumps for Life—and Other Zambian Ponderings

Published
on June 21, 2008
in Trips and Zambia
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Severe jetlag and near-sleepless flights did laughably little to diminish our excitement and enthusiasm upon reaching Zambia. On the ride from the airport, when we might have othewise been staring down at our iPods or trusty books, everyone had their heads uniformly turned to face the windows, where dense grasslands, sturdy trees, and messy slabs of concrete combined to form the passing scenery. After swerving around the Zambian equivalent of Dupont Circle, we bustled down a skinny road and arrived at our now-beloved Juls Hotel. We dropped off our luggage, took well-needed showers, and in less than no time were laying face-up in our beds, indulged in the first of the profound discussions amongst ourselves—so profound, in fact, that hopefully we didn’t use up all our conversation fare on the first night of our three-week stay.

Having settled in quite smoothly, we piled back into the bus, and were chanting "Ms. Jackson," "Fresh Prince of Bel Air," and other hip-hop favorites by the time the wheels were rolling. Our high spirits were somewhat tampered upon entering the skinny lane of the Changwe Compound, which exposed us to grim signs of poverty and pollution.

Photo from LSZ '08
A PlayPump

But all was well again upon reaching the community school, where we had our first real-life encounter with one of the famed "PlayPumps". Though we already knew some about these water-pumping carousels, there was nothing like riding them ourselves to the sound of water getting chugged into the tanks overhead, as well as learning of how the school elaborated on the genius of the system—having spilt water from the faucet run into a fish pond, as opposed to just letting it dry up on the ground.

We were then greeted by our guide "K2" and the kindly nun "Sister Rita," who escorted us through the school and the nearby "Chawaniazocs" missionary. They aswered many of our questions on the site—how the school is managed, how its schedule is set up—and, in return, we were asked of our goals as a "LearnServe" group and how life in America is comparable to life in sub-Saharan Africa. After a few snapshots with the grinning kids we met, we were crammed back into the bus and drove away. Highlights of the return trip included hearing of the Zambian soccer team’s 1-0 triumph over Swaziland, and spotting a local hip-hop duo thrilling members of a local crowd.

Our journal reflections of that afternoon show that, though we’ve only been here a day, it feels like a whole week, thanks to the depth of knowledge and insight we’ve acquired on Zambian culture. Having gotten a first taste of the trip, it’s safe to say we’re all pumped up for more.

by Josh from Washington International School and Parry from SEED Public Charter School