Today is going to be a busy day in the field.  We are scheduled to visit 6 water projects near Axum, some completed and some under construction. We know it will be a long day, so we leave the hotel at 8:00 am with our partners to head to the field.
 
One of the first things we notice is the number of farmers in the fields plowing.  Turns out, rains have come early in this part of Tigray. So the farmers are really happy to get an early start on the plowing and planting.
 
 
In the picture above, you see a bit of standing water to the left of the plowed area.  This provides just enough moisture to make the plowing easier and more receptive for the grain. Perfect timing for the farmers.
 
One of our community stops is at Maysiye.  The water project is located up a pretty steep hill, situated well above the community.
 
 
When we make it to the top……we are greeted by the community’s current water gathering spot.  As you can see above, it is shared by both people and livestock. The project at Maysiye is under construction and we were in for a real treat today.
 
 
The well had reached about 30 feet deep, but digging had stopped because of hard bed rock.  Holes were drilled into the rock and packed with explosive. We got to witness the explosion firsthand! This will be repeated several times until the right depth is reached.
 
We also visited a completed project at Adi Telem and celebrated with the community.
 
 
Our celebration was held under a beautiful, old fig tree that was spectacular.  This is the community’s normal meeting place, just above the location of the well.  Truly awesome sight.  We were able to enjoy a specialty of this area of Tigray, organic honey. Very delicious when served with some local baked bread.
 
 
Our last stop of the day was at Maymesanu, a hand dug well that we thought was still under construction.  Just days before, the crew had completed topping out the well, so we participate in pumping up some of the first water.  Bo and Pat got to dance around the pump celebrating with the community.  In just a week or so, this project will be finished and serving the community with clean safe water every day!
 
Maymesanu was a very remote location, served only by unimproved trails/paths.  Shortly after our celebration, the thunder started to roll, so that was a sure sign for us to roll too to get back to better roads.  We were peppered with rain on the way back, creating a few treacherous moments along the way.
 

 

 Today is going to be a busy day in the field.  We are scheduled to visit 6 water projects near Axum, some completed and some under construction. We know it will be a long day, so we leave the hotel at 8:00 am with our partners to head to the field.
 
One of the first things we notice is the number of farmers in the fields plowing.  Turns out, rains have come early in this part of Tigray. So the farmers are really happy to get an early start on the plowing and planting.
 
 
In the picture above, you see a bit of standing water to the left of the plowed area.  This provides just enough moisture to make the plowing easier and more receptive for the grain. Perfect timing for the farmers.
 
One of our community stops is at Maysiye.  The water project is located up a pretty steep hill, situated well above the community.
 
 
When we make it to the top……we are greeted by the community’s current water gathering spot.  As you can see above, it is shared by both people and livestock. The project at Maysiye is under construction and we were in for a real treat today.
 
 
The well had reached about 30 feet deep, but digging had stopped because of hard bed rock.  Holes were drilled into the rock and packed with explosive. We got to witness the explosion firsthand! This will be repeated several times until the right depth is reached.
 
We also visited a completed project at Adi Telem and celebrated with the community.
 
 
Our celebration was held under a beautiful, old fig tree that was spectacular.  This is the community’s normal meeting place, just above the location of the well.  Truly awesome sight.  We were able to enjoy a specialty of this area of Tigray, organic honey. Very delicious when served with some local baked bread.
 
 
Our last stop of the day was at Maymesanu, a hand dug well that we thought was still under construction.  Just days before, the crew had completed topping out the well, so we participate in pumping up some of the first water.  Bo and Pat got to dance around the pump celebrating with the community.  In just a week or so, this project will be finished and serving the community with clean safe water every day!
 
Maymesanu was a very remote location, served only by unimproved trails/paths.  Shortly after our celebration, the thunder started to roll, so that was a sure sign for us to roll too to get back to better roads.  We were peppered with rain on the way back, creating a few treacherous moments along the way.