Raising the Poles of Hope

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

View this email in your browser.

Raising the Poles of Hope
A Zulu Dam Update

Ten and a half kilometers. Ninety poles. Thirty workers. One goal: power to Karawa.

Installing poles for the Zulu power lines

Over the last month and a half, a massive combined effort has led to the installation of new poles for the Zulu power line along a route over ten kilometers long from the Zulu Dam to Karawa hospital. In March, three American engineers (Jon Coker, Drew Coker, and Jerry Penick) spent two weeks working with a group of Congolese engineers (Etumba, Silva, Djof, and Bolongo), technicians, laborers, and missionaries to plan, test, and launch this effort. These engineers work under the oversight of the Covenant Church of Congo (CEUM), our partner. Today, this phase of work is nearing successful completion!

We'll be at Gather '16! June 23-26, Phoenix, AZ

If you are planning to be at The ECC Annual Meeting, Gather 2016, we would love to meet you! Stop by and see us at the Serve Globally display. We would love to share more updates with you about our partnership and programs in Congo and thank you for your support.

Contact us to let us know you'll be there!

Your gift makes a difference. Thank you!

American and Congolese engineers planning together.

Upon arrival in Karawa, the group split into two teams. One team was charged with clearing brush and trees along the line’s future location. Before the labor could start, this task involved GPS equipped survey equipment that was used to mark the location of each pole while the cutting team plowed forward (the pole locations had been previously marked using Google Earth Pro and data from prior trips).

Watch a video of the pole going up!

The second team was in charge of mounting poles. In the States, many of us have seen cranes and backhoes used to put up power lines. The Karawa team did it all by hand. After digging a hole to a predetermined depth, the 10-11 meter poles were assembled, positioned, and hoisted from below by about ten people while guides used ropes to steady the pole as it went up. It was a joy to hear the team singing as they did this work! Once a process was developed, the team became very efficient and completed over eighty installations in under a month.

There is still more work to go! Click here to continue reading the full story.

Donate to economic development programs today!