Introducing .... KARAGWE, TANZANIA !
a trip by Jan B. Hansen
From: January 3rd 2008
Until: January 24th 2008
Around 7:00PM one evening in December 2007 I received a call from an engineering professor who invited me to travel with her over J-term and advise a group of engineering students from the University of St. Thomas. Another advisor had to back out due to his father falling ill. I said I would think about it to which my friend said "You have four hours". She had to know first thing in the morning who the advisor would be in order to secure funds promised for another advisor. Alrighty then! My husband Steve - the consummate support - said "Why not?". So I, an Educational Psychologist - not an engineer - said "Yes!" I have never looked back, and never been sorry. The efforts took place over January-term, 2008 for the purpose of installing 2 solar-powered water pasteurizers at two secondary schools in remote Karagwe, Tanzania. Prompted by a design from a UST prof who conducted lots of work in developing countries, the UST students met, planned to install the pasteurizers and packed necessary tools and parts. A Physics prof from the University of Wisconsin - River Falls (who later became a dear friend), assembled and shipped parts. I was excited to think that we could help people in remote and developing areas have access to purification systems and thereby reduce the incidence of disease. I had been raised in rural Minnesota in a close family with a heart for the underdog. This blog is the first in a series of what helps describe a lifetime of connection to a group of beautiful people in Karagwe and helps tell their story and mine.
*****
Take me to the Educate Tanzania website: http://educatetanzania.org
Trip Length: 3 weeks
Blog Entries: 22
Photos: 94
Words: 12612
Blog Entries
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