We have made major progress on the site today. Concrete is being made, and painting is progressing well. Richard and his crew show the volunteers how they can mix several bags of cement into concrete. In other countries, the workers mix one bag at a time. Here is the process: Step one, add all ingredients and dry-mix. Step two: make a huge cauldron for water. Step three: add water, and start mixing concrete at the edge, continuously sliding the mix into the trench.The method yields a huge amount of concrete, which is a good thing, because the footings are 1.7 cubic meters each. Empty cement bags are filled with sand to create a dam for the footing. They are removed after the concrete sets in about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, a new addition to the world arrives, Evelyn Rosemary, born just after her pregnant mother attended our "meet the parents" evening last Thursday. Her proud mother and father show her to each of us.
Volunteers have moved to the school stairwell, scraping, washing and painting. There's still a lot more digging and painting to do, but spirits are high as we progress through our work.
Cam Grant
DWC Team Leader
Jaen, Peru: October 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment