Surveying in Ethiopia

This is the master planners conceptual design for HopEthiopia's village in Arbu Chulule. One of our team's objectives was carry out a topographic survey of the site to help move the design process forward.

This drawing is a contour plan drafted from the survey info our team carried out over an area of 518 acres (210 hectares).

Above is Patrick surveying with a Leica total station survey instrument that was donated for eMi Canada use by David Marquardt, a Calgary surveyor and veteran eMi volunteer. Our original plan was to bring in RTK GPS survey equipment which would have enabled us to capture data 4 times as fast and with one person, but at the 11th hour (actually 1:00 am the day we departed) we were informed by the government that this sophisticated satellite survey equipment would not be allowed into the country. Our backup plan was implemented, which turned out to be a real blessing for eMi Canada. Butler Survey Supplies, based in Calgary, recognized our challenging situation, and offered not only a loaner total station, but a donation of one which can be used for future eMi trips.

Here's Lydia Penner, a Geomatics Technologist from Grande Prairie, surveying with the usual crowd of onlookers that she so patiently and eagerly interacted with. She is using the Sokkia total station donated by Butler Survey Supplies.

Godwin Wong, a Civil Engineer from Vancouver, carrying out measurements for a percolation test on the heavy clay soil as part of his civil engineering site assessment.

Cameron Galbraith, a Geomatics Technologist from Calgary, takes a brief break while surveying, to dazzle the kids with his rock juggling skills.

Tyler Smith, one of 3 eMi Canada's summer interns, is studying Structural Engineering in Atlanta, Georgia. If there was a way for Ty to use the 2 prisms at once, his keen attitude would have figured it out. As well as surveying, Ty helped Godwin with completing the Civil Engineering assessment.

The Kamloops Alliance Church Quilts have Landed

Part of the incredible connections in missions is Patrick being able to deliver the quilts made by our Churchs' quilting club. These 40 quilts and hats were destined for Africa and are now in their grateful hands.

Team eMi will capture the Vision of HopEthiopia on Friday May 8th - May 19, 2009

Read more about HopEthiopia at :
http://www.hopethiopia.com/#/index.php

Read more about eMi Canada and other project trips :http://www.emicanada.org/projects/projectprofile_10010.shtm

THE TEAM

Cameron Galbraith – Geomatics Technician

I am a recent graduate of Geomatics Engineering Technologies and I am excited to apply my training in a team on a mission to bless and help out in another nation where it is needed. For me the trip is also to learn and see what God may have for me as the next step, whether it be geomatics-related or not. I will be 30 years old by the time we leave for Ethiopia. It will be exciting to meet the team and work together!

Lydia Penner – Survey Technologist

I’m a born and bred Albertan farm girl from the Grande Prairie area. I have a Geomatic Engineering Technology Diploma out of Lethbridge College, and am currently employed carrying out legal surveys for the oil patch in Grande Prairie. My favorite thing to do in life is tube behind snowmobiles in the snow with my cousins, but going on wilderness adventures on horseback with teenagers comes in pretty close to the top, too. My desire to come on this trip stems from an effort to be obedient to God when He commands us to help the poor, a quest for adventure, and a desire to use my skills for a purpose greater than satisfying the money-hungry giant we call “Oil”. I’m a thinker, which sometimes makes life complicated and issues of faith seem difficult, but I wrestle with and strive towards a God who loves me and desires relationship with me. I pray for the faith to rest in His loving arms.

Kevin Dubienski

I’m 22 years old. I’ve been working with eekona for the last two and a half years making websites amongst other neat things. I am to be married in the summer of 2009 to Bekah Roberts, who is completing her nursing degree for 2010. Both Bekah and myself share a passion for helping the needy (regardless of location) and look forward to our future as best friends serving the Lord. Eekona was formed between myself and two other partners, Marc and Claudine Dawoud. This couple has been long time role models and dear friends since my high-school years. Our company was birthed to not only build beautiful websites but to give us a chance to promote what we truly believe in. As for mission, I started traveling with Gods grace behind me at the age of 14. From then to now I have had a variety of experiences as both a member & leader of missions teams, loving every minute of it. From becoming great friends with kids at Im Jai House (Thailand), to teaching web design to information hungry students in Tobago, missions will continue to play a huge role in Bekah’s and my life.

Ralph Dubienski

I am 50 years old and married for 29 years to Glenda 3 Children: Jenn 24, Kevin 22, and Kathy 20 A dentist for 25 years Involved in mission work for the last 8 years Co founder HopEthiopia Interests - sports, fly fishing, mission and faith opportunities, stepping out of the comfort zone.

Godwin Wong - Civil Engineer

I am a graduate of the University of British Columbia in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in transportation. For the last four years, I have worked as a construction field engineer for a light rail transit project mainly focused on the management and construction of stations and other fixed facilities. I was born in Hong Kong and now living and working in Vancouver,Canada. This will be my first trip to Africa and my first trip for God's Ministry. I am very excited and I hope that I can use the engineering skills that God has prepared for me to glorify him and help others

Ty Smith – Structural Engineer

I am a structural engineering student at the University of Georgia, and I plan to graduate in May of 2011. I love my plan of study and I have been longing to participate in such an amazing experience for quite some time. God called me to mission work while I was in Junior High School, since then I've been to many places serving Him. I've been to Native American Reservations in New Mexico and all the way to Brno in Czech Republic. I love our world and our God, and I believe that eMi provides a mission experience that fuses my two loves beautifully.

Patrick Cochrane – Team Leader

I'm just a few years into my 2nd half century, married to Joan for 31 years, and still marveling at how God continues to bless us in our marriage and lives together. . We have a 24 year old son, Brenden who is a surveyor, and a 28 year old daughter Heather who is a nurse and married to Cody. Our kids live in Grande Prairie, Alberta. For the past 33 years I've worked as an civil engineering technnologist, the last 27 with the Department of Fisheries & Oceans (Canada) working on fish habitat restoration projects. My involvement with eMi goes back to 2002, and includes 5 missions as team surveyor, 2 periods of interim staff for 4 and 9 months, Disaster Assistance Response Team member on mission to Goma, Congo last December, and currently a board member. Once again this will be a great opportunity to engage and leverage my faith, abilities, passions, and resources to help and encourage others. This gives me such a great sense of purpose for my life. As an eMi team partnering with HopEthiopia, we have an amazing opportunity that takes us beyond just telling people about the love of Jesus; we are able to show that love while serving and helping people have a better quality of life in an area so desperately in need. I'm excited to lead and serve with you!

Goma and Nearby Settlement Camps

On the Home Stretch

This is a photo of a street; well actually a whole portion of the city of Goma, that was totally covered with lava in the 2000 eruption of the volcano just visible behind me in the background. We were in this neighbourhood delivering left over dry food from one of the distributions to an orphanage. As we got out of the vehicle, the children greeted us in song and lively clapping and dance. These children were orphaned as a result of the war here.

The volcano in the background generates its own cloud of steam that pretty much constantly covers the top. I’m estimating it’s 25 km away, and it is 10,500 ft. Some of the evenings, we can look up at it and there is an amazing red glow in the sky. It erupted last in 2000. Most of Goma and the surrounding 100kms were covered by lava by varying amounts from this or other eruptions. Everywhere you go around here there is lava rock. It has got to be hard on those with bare feet.



This is our Goma warehouse, where local staff are preparing personal hygiene kits containing tooth paste and brushes, diaper material, string, soap, towels, and many more non food items. These will be distributed by Care to IDP”s most in need.

This is the line up waiting for the food distribution today outside the Baptist Church. It is a very organized process thanks to the leadership provided to the local church through SP staff.

This is one of about 11,000 people benefiting from Samaritan’s Purse food distribution today through the local Baptist Church. She is carrying a sack of flour which she will have to divide among a group of people grouped together to make the distribution process more expedient.

This was one of the hand wash stations we had provided for the latrines in Buganga IDP Camp. We also provided cleaning tools for these latrines which were turned over to family groupings who will keep them cleaned. We have also acquired soap for everyone at the camp through UNICEF/Hope In Action which should be distributed Monday.

Patmos IDP Camp. We were at the Patmos Baptist Church IDP camp today where there has been a suspected large number of cholera cases. We’re building 26 latrines, and working on a water supply to offer relief from hauling water from lake 1km away and 42 meter vertical climb back to camp. We told the folks there that we are hoping to bring plastic covering for their huts, and they started applauding...they are so grateful for what we are doing for them.

These are the guys that are hand excavating...or should I say human powered rock drills...for the latrines at Patmos IDP Camp. Lava is prevalent everywhere in and about Goma, as the last eruption of the steaming night glowing volcano was in 2000. These guys weren’t even using the shovel to take the broken rock and soil out of the excavation; they were using their bare hands, as the shovel doesn’t fit into the irregularities created in broken lava. There were ladies and children from the camp picking through the rubble they excavate out of the hole and sifting through to gather the stone and some of the sand that will be used for the concrete foundation for the latrine. We asked the local contractor to use labour from the camp.

This was a photo during a significant rainstorm at Buganga IDP Camp. To add insult to injury for the inhabitants here, I saw one of the ladies bailing out her hut, as the makeshift berm she had built around her hut had not sufficed.

Combatting the spread of Cholera

John testing turbidity of water sampled from spring we are
looking at piping to school/village


Making assessment of spring box that is located 700 meters above
a village and school. We are putting forth a design to pipe this water to a tap stand at the school, and may be able to implement this design before we go.

inspecting construction of new 6 stall latrines at Buganga camp

6 stall latrine at Buganga camp near Minova, 2 hours west of Goma

Went to Patmos Baptist church camp and met with the principal of Patmos
Elementary school run by the government/Baptist church– this is where there are about 2000 IDP’s encamped around that the government doesn’t want supported by NGO’s because they are within the city of Goma and have supposedly been offered space at other camps. But according to the camp director, an IDP himself, it is unsafe for them to go to the other camps....we weren’t told why. But the cholera is becoming a major health issue here, and we need to act on preventing its spread, and latrines is the first step, as everywhere you walk, there is human feces around...bad situation with only about 9 usable, but very deplorably dirty latrines available for use. The church latrine has 2
stalls and is absolutely brimming almost onto the floorboards.

Back at the Buganga camp near Minova, where our LWTS water purification units are located, there are now 44 latrines with at least another 26 to be built in the next few days. We’re going to be installing bucket/spigot wash stations at each latrine on Monday, and UNICEF is supposed to be providing all of the camp inhabitants with soap. These sanitation improvements should help curb the spread of cholera.

John is holding a makeshift hand level survey rod with Valery and children looking on.

Valery, is a Canadian citizen now but came to Canada as a refugee, whose family is in Toronto, but he has a heart to help his people in the Congo as they struggle. He has been a tremendous asset and blessing to our Water/Sanitation team with his interpreting, driving, local contacts and knowledge, and his big heart to serve with us.

The work continues

I’m showing the water techs at the camp how we can improve the water
quality by inserting the pump suction line into a pail and then lowering it into the black primary sediment tanks on the right. The river water is very turbid – I would say it is worse than the North Thompson River in flood. So we are using these big black tanks for primary sedimentation before treating the water within the LWTS.








Me with kids on the back steps of the Baptist Church with the IDP camp
huts in the background. The 2 latrines in the background are overfilled, and along with 3 other seats at another latrine next to the church, are the only
toilets and hygiene for the over 5000 people at this camp.








Me showing the kids my trusty hand level while surveying pipeline – kids
follow you everywhere, mostly hoping to get something from the Muzungu




John (engineer from Ottawa) is taking a sample of water from the tap to test for the chlorine content. This has to be closely monitored, as we don’t want it so high that the people will not drink the water, but we want it to be effective in killing bacteria.











little girl carrying water from lake, 40 vertical meters and 1km to
IDP camp - in the hour we were onsite, we saw probably 50 children doing
likewise, some appearing to be as young as 3 years old.






Kids filling water jugs at the Buganga camp from the LWTS (living water
treatment system) that we are helping to keep fuctioning and improving.







Construction of the new latrines by paid workers who also are
residents of the camp.













These toddlers were shelling beans – children at a very young age are
expected to contribute to the family needs.