Living off the grid

Have you ever tried to live off the grid? Cooking, bathing, and working off grid? If "living off the grid" meant anything like "living off the land", you would deduce that almost everyone lives off the grid because almost everyone depends upon it for their daily activities. This being the English language, logic isn't applicable. In addition to my regular job, which I discussed last time, I have an array of side projects, which primarily work off the grid. Electricity heats my shower and boils my rice, and the hospital has power for my computer. But notice that washing clothes failed to make that list. Yep, washing clothes takes more than a toss into the machine and a turn of the dials, it's by the brawn of your biceps and the wringing of your radii. That goes for both myself and the hospital. You can imagine the amount of work required for an 80-bed hospital. The current laundry facilities are stretched to capacity and need some refurbishment. That's where I pop into the picture. Even though construction really isn't my cup of tea, as the most technical person around these parts, it falls to my lot. What's the design? It's a simple building with slightly more space and better planning. Washing, drying, folding; two rooms and a courtyard for the primary steps of laundry. This week, we hope to solicit some bids. In perhaps two or three weeks, we may have a contractor and yet another construction project happening here at Mugonero.

For all you parents out there, what is the biggest cost associated with children? Buying clothes? Food? School (if you sent them to private school)? What if you had over 100 kids? You understand the need for a significant source of income, but relying on donations is foolish because of unpredictability. At the orphanage, Victor is creating industries with the profits helping to pay for clothes, food, and education to reduce the dependency upon charity (no, the children are not working in the industries). The government is working with Victor to develop a nursery to sell fruit trees to the locals. During the dry season, these saplings will need water, which is why Victor likes having me at his disposal. Behind the orphanage is a ravine with a creek snaking it's way along the bottom. A couple years ago, a German built a dam and a pump house to pump water up to the orphanage. The pumps are driven by water wheels and require no electricity. However, due of poor design both by the German and the Brazilian pump manufacturer, I have a task - get them working, ideally before the end of the wet season. This water is too dirty to be used for drinking and would clog any filter. However, a little soil with the water is just fine for the plants.

Another cost associated with children is the electricity bill. The orphanage's electricity bill comprises of bottles of distilled water. They have solar panels and a battery bank (courtesy of the German government) to power Victor's computer, the UV water purifier, and two lights so the kids can do their homework after dark. You would think that living so close to the equator would mean plentiful sunshine. But clouds seriously diminish the sunshine available, particularly in the rainy season. Any true Washingtonian can appreciate rain, primarily because it supplies the majority of their electricity. Likewise, my final project is to complete a design that would modify the pump house to include a hydroelectric generator. Thus, whenever the rain renders the solar system incapable of meeting demand, the rain itself will provide electricity. This is certainly the most difficult and complex project, even more so than my actual job, but this is also the most interesting and my favorite.

What do I like doing here in Africa? I like doing what I am most capable of accomplishing. Pilots, doctors, and even translators are all needed in the far reaches of the world. Evangelists and preachers have their calling. But someone decided not to bestow such abilities upon me. Instead, He created me to tackle those non-functional water pumps, a dog-chewed piano dehumidifier, those haphazard sketches of hospital buildings, a leak-prone hospital water system, and numerous other imperfect creations of man. With a passion for such, how can I say no?