So… the drilling schedule has been delayed because Maji-Ttech ran into some problems at the last site that they were drilling at. Of course, we had informed the community that drilling schedules are hard to predict, as the drillers hit unpredictable crazy rock formations sometimes. Good thing I had a back-up plan for this week…
There is a great need for handwashing facilities in our community. Every time we go to eat at someone’s place, they pour water from a pitcher to wash our hands for us. Also, many of the restaurants here have a handwashing bucket in front for customers. However, the cheapest tap available in town is 250KSH, and it has a notorious reputation for breaking. At this price, very few families can afford to buy a tap for their homes. So, after fiddling around with some superglue and PVC pipes, we were able to make a tap for about 40KSH. We got some villagers together and demonstrated our little contraption and have received some good reviews so far. Although we made it clear that we’re not selling them and are only in the testing phase, 60 villagers requested that we put their names on a waiting list for the tap. They want to be the first to buy if we decide to make them. Another lady claimed, “I want to clap for that tap.” Interesting response. So, as we continue to receive feedback from the community through interviews and focus groups, we’re going to start some long-term testing of our taps at our Field Officers’ and Field Mangers’ homes in order to ensure that we have a durable and well-tested product.
Of course, for some of you savvier WatSan folks, you might be wondering about making a tippy tap. I personally love the tippy tap, but the feedback that we got from the villagers was that it was difficult to use and easy to break. Also, there seems to be something that just tickles the villagers’ fancy when you turn the tap and water just squirts out. Old men with grey beards were giggling when we demonstrated this. Go figure.