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POWER TO THE PEOPLE DRAFT
The document discusses a mountain community in Haiti that studied and installed solar-powered water pumps. It describes how the community previously had to haul water from far distances, but through collaboration between organizations, they were able to install pumps powered by solar panels to make water more accessible. The project involved engineers, volunteers from the local area and abroad, and reviews from energy companies to set up a sustainable water system for the community using solar energy.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE DRAFT
- 1. Power to thePeople! A Mountain Community Studies and Installs Solar-Powered Water Pumps Randy Mont-Reynaud, PhD & Elisee Abraham, CEO If Pigs Could Fly – Helping Hillside Haiti* http://www.ifpigscouldflyhaiti.org/
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- 4. Water for drinking,Water for washing
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- 6. If Pigs CouldFly home team IT Engineer
- 7. Race to the“Ouache-Ouache” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqkKHdqpF-E&feature=plcp
- 8. Access to waterelsewhere…
- 9. “Bos Eric” hadplans 4 1 3 2
- 11. The boots-on theground team
- 12. Access to water:Exploring, measuring
- 13. Access to water:Exploring, measuring
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- 15. Waterworks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIc3XS4PTS U&feature=plcp ENERSA visits andwe worry about “woch” JR speaks of his concerns: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djRE9rAulFE &feature=relmfu
- 16. Solar Power tothe People
- 17. Collaboration Cutting AcrossCultures: City, Countryside, Diaspora and “Blan”
- 18. Our CEO EliseeAbraham and Mesye Nelis, review the schematics and photos
- 19. Everyone was veryinterested!
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Editor's Notes
- #2 *CEO= Chief Eternal Optimist* Ask me in Q & A about our name
- #3 Once upon a time, there was a series of mountains and steep hillsides, where people schlepped…And schlepped.
- #4 Visitors especially were struck by the necessary hauling of water – carried out, or up and down –usually, but not invariably, by women and girls in the mountains of Haiti. Teams of visiting students had contests with local youth, boys and girls, and…will, you can imagine the results. No contest
- #5 Chores for women and tiny girls seemed relentless.
- #6 Not to discount the baby in the bath water.
- #7 Two northern Californian engineers and an ad-hoc IT fellow were excited to harness solar power to pump water, er, revolutionize part of the “Third” World. They wanted to know: how high, how far, how much, how long, how often. Disturbingly demanding quantifiable data, which our boots-on-the-ground team in Haiti set forth to determine.
- #8 In an effort to find out how long it might take, we decided to have a race with prize money for 1m 2,3rd, 4th…20 gds, 15, 10, 5 goude.
- #9 In other areas, notably the flat lands, we have noted a variety of methods to access water. There are hand pumps, wells, and, in the city, distribution points, and there were“blad” in tent camps.
- #10 Two northern Californian engineers and an ad-hoc IT fellow were excited to harness solar power to pump water, er, revolutionize part of the “Third” World.
- #12 Hiking, measuring, figuring, deciding. This was more arduous than it looks.
- #13 Leaving no stone, er, unturned….Intensive and extensive explorations, discussions to evaluate which spring to serve how many households, how “do-able,” ease of access, security concerns, steps saved. Our team scoured usually difficult – if not hazardous –terrain.
- #14 We, myself included, walked the walk. How much water could a lily-livered, outta shape aging grandmother and not a natif-natal…how muc could I carry, and for how long?
- #15 Ok, well, it wasn’t without some gratifying moments – even a swim.
- #16 At least as important to us was to support a collaboration between city technicians and our rural “mounkitravayte” agricultural workers. Our small non-profit, "If Pigs Could Fly - Haiti" explores the terrain, in collaboration with ENERSA's technical crew, lead by Jean Ronel Noel. In these clips, we are with ENERSA, identifying a spring as a possible location for solar powered water pumps, to be installed summer of 2012, siDieuvle. I am like sooo Not an engineer! Just, a calculating woman, but not an engineer.
- #17 We, or at least I, and members of the board, considered the educational and knowledge-sharing at least as key as any material benefits to the zone (which our organization had assiduously avoided – but got carried away with the notion of solar power!
- #19 MesyeNelis will be part of the security team, checking the apparatus. He lives a quick jog away from the site(s) at DjonDjon and the Wash-Wash.
- #20 We held community meetings, small team meetings, and considerable boots-on-the-ground operations to determine best locale, logistics of implementation, security, monitoring and maintenance. MesyeNelis, children and neighbors look on.
- #21 Back to the drawing board. With our CEO’s Solar powered laptop by candlelight. What are the priorities? After this 4 min. music video update, I’ll take and ask questions.