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Voices From the Field: Team TJ with Orlando, Julia, Kiana & Jenni

Today was our third day out in Moya with TJ. The village is smaller with a lot of Fulani families and lots of friendly kids. Our first two days we spent meeting with the chief and elders and the community to explain how we wanted to bring clean water to their village. Today we started training two of the community-selected women named Fatima, Fatimata, and the daughter of the third woman, Maria. The walk to the dugout is longer than in the other villages we’ve seen, and very dusty, but we were accompanied by a gaggle of children, some very bold, some terrified of the salamingas trying to pick them up.

Team TJ loads up the taxi for a drum delivery
Team TJ loads up the taxi for a drum delivery
Moya residents visit their dugout
Moya residents visit their dugout

Jenni took lead on the first day of training which involved showing the women how to fill the three 200-liter drums with the garawas and using the alum to start cleaning the water. The women are experts on alum-ball-making, so they sped through the process. We left the three blue drums full and treated with alum, so when we go back tomorrow the sediment will be settled out.

Julia works with Fatima, Fatimata and Maria to roll the alum into balls
Julia works with Fatima, Fatimata and Maria to roll the alum into balls
Fatima, Fatimata, and Maria treat their first batch of dugout water with alum.
Fatima, Fatimata, and Maria treat their first batch of dugout water with alum.

Back in the village, we went into the chief’s palace to say goodbye, and we were gifted with a chicken and yams, which are currently sitting in the trunk of TJ’s taxi. We are headed to the market this afternoon to pick up locks and other small things we need, as well as the large polytank in which the alum-treated water is treated with aquatabs to make it safe for drinking.

 

Kiana and TJ pose with the most recent addition to the Moya team. Delicious!
Kiana and TJ pose with the most recent addition to the Moya team. Delicious!
The community of Moya - the chief's palace is on the left!
The community of Moya – the chief’s palace is on the left!
Julia poses with a gift from the community
Julia poses with a gift from the community