6th report of the SMA Midday Rotary Montecillo de Nieto Water Project

Record of Event pg 1 of 2
6th report of the SMA Midday Rotary Montecillo de Nieto Water Project

Where: Montecillo de Nieto Kindergarten
When: 17 March 2010 12-1.30
Who: Elena & Laura (Rotary), Hector & Leon &(woman teacher) primary school teachers, +21 community members.
Purpose: Review the Pilot project, & plan the next phase – ie individual cisterns per families.

Chela was sick today, Elena & I decided it was to crucial to postpone, so we had the assembly without her.

We arrived at 12 & most of the women were still at the Primary school, there were inoculations going on today, kids & dogs!!

We gathered back at the kinder & began the assembly approx 12.20.

We asked if they had the book to take the roll, & Margarita had left it at home, so went home to get it, while we waited we chatted.
• They finished the cistern on the 21st January.
• The next week it rained & ¾ filled the cistern!
• Kids are drinking water from the cistern already
• The kids know how precious the water is, & they don´t touch the tap. The teacher fills a garafon.
• The teachers from the primary school came to the kinder meeting too – although they have an ecology dept. model rainwater collection system, it doesn´t work & they want one of our cisterns.
• We have 26 cisterns avail, 1 constructed, a list of 24 families, so one spare for the school potentially.

Margarita was voted co-ordinator of the meeting. & Enedina as record taker, it turned out that Margarita did both…

We called for agenda items:
• Attendance
• Review of what has been done to date
• When will the materials for the next phase arrive?
• Which houses will receive the materials first (planning next phase)
• How many cisterns can be being built simultaneously?
• Unity & communication in the community
• Program the next meeting date.

Item 1. Roll was called.
Item 2. Review of pilot project
Everyone was very happy with how the cistern turned out & the timing, ie just before it rained.
The kids are drinking the water, & everyone is very keen to have their own cisterns now (especially before the rains in June).
A comment about volunteers was “some came because they had to volunteer, others came because they wanted to learn”
There was one person who didn´t attend & 1 person who is not on the list who did attend the training days.

The person not attending has been removed & the new person invited to join the list (as per the meeting consensus).

Item 3. Materials/Planning for the next steps
I explained the next steps,
1. They needed to measure the tubes & elbows etc needed at their specific location. – they have done this, & have a list per family, per group.
2. They need to co-ordinate a time for the community & Rafael Cruz (who will be technical co-ordinator on this job – from the Los Torres team of Experts)… to come to check the measurements house by house. He suggested 5th April is soonest. They have his phone number & will co-ordinate direct.
Record of Event pg 2 of 2
6th report of the SMA Midday Rotary Montecillo de Nieto Water Project

3. When he goes to do the measurement he will also need to determine with the community where & when they wish to have the materials delivered.
4. Rafa will need to collate the order, 24 x the standard materials list, + each list of variable materials per family into one bulk order for the variables.
5. Suggest – 1 big order of the variable materials is delivered to 1 spot, & each family comes with their list & collects what they need.
6. The Standard materials (ie cement, mesh, wire etc) is delivered 2 cisterns per group at a time, until the cisterns are built & then order then next lot.
7. Rafa will need to place the order with the supplier. (NB we still need to sign the supplier contract, & negotiate best option)

There was some discussion re how to best build all the cisterns for each group. Gaston said he feels it´s better to do one cistern at a time, not 2 concurrently. Since there are only 6 families in each group this is probably a good idea.

Item 4. Unity & Communication
Elena talked about how important it is to communicate with eachother, for example the woman teacher from the primary across the road had not visited to see the cistern at the kinder…


Item 5 26th Cistern to be for the primary school
I asked the teachers why since they already have a 30,000 ltr tank supplied by Ecology, they want an additional cistern (they have 65 kids in the school). They explained it does not work, & to make it function properly more money has to be spent & the Eco. Dept wants to excavate & have a below ground tank. This project cost approx US$11k, I explained the big project providing 26 cisterns cost not much more than that.

The teachers agreed they did not want to spend more money on this other project, & really do want one of our cisterns.

The people in the meeting agreed since their kids all go to the school that the 26th cistern should go to the school. All groups will participate in the constr6ction, & only once all of the cisterns are built.

They will have keys to allow Rafa access to decide the best place to put the cistern at the school.

Item 6 important dates
Traspatio workshop at Los Torres 7th April (1st Wednesday each month)
Proposed check measurements date with Rafa 5th April
Proposed collation of order by Rafa 6th April,
Proposed place order by Rafa – to supplier – 7th April
Proposed 1st delivery of materials to community 8th April

Next Assembly in Montecillo de Nieto 21 April 12pm at Kinder