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Published: August 19th 2014
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I am going to the most direct I have been in any of my posts. Due to the grandiose imagination of Americans regarding their loved ones going to Africa,
I feel that I must clear things up. Often times stereotyping, media, and a lack of mediums for social impact yield my friends and family to assume I am either on a mission trip, working for a water NGO, on work-vacation, or ditching a life of convenience. While these are all dandy,
allow me to inform you why I am here, and what I have actually been doing.
Why: I seek to better lives of the less fortunate through innovative and maximized mediums.
I have a passion for learning the sciences of this world, and finding channels to make lives easier for the struggling. If I am to truly help others (a common and noble task), I must make non-traditional mistakes, engage in new frontiers, and take the interest of things I would have never imagined.
Who: I am working with Agua Inc, a sustainable wastewater treatment company that uses plant technologies to offer alternative treatment systems. Wastewater is the combination of all your appliance, toilet,
sewerage, and greywater that goes through the “magic drain”...it all gets treated and recycled/released somewhere. 3
%!o(MISSING)f America’s energy is used on massive conventional wastewater treatment plants, and 90%!o(MISSING)f developing regions do not treat their wastewater, both a national and international issue. To keep it short, our Typha plants (cattails) naturally aerate the water (which is the job of expensive aerators or blowers), remediate metals and toxins (in shoots, often the job of expensive chemicals), reduce odors, limit energy immensely, and require little maintenance/expertise. Agua Inc saves reduces disease, economically stimulates, utilizes community-empathy, and stops at nothing to change the way the world looks at waste.
What:
My role at Agua Inc involve the wearing of many hats. As the Director of Educational Programs, I initially started and currently run a International Sustainable Development internship program for the company. I was became frustrated with expensive, meaningless, and non-specific internships/travel/study abroad, and developed this program to what the future workforce wants and needs. Being in Gambia, I have entered the roles of a grant writer, overnight learner, stakeholder manager, program development, project management, community outreach, capacity building, company communications, PR...truly elements of everything. My mission continues to
be to grow the company, as
making systems possible that provide clean drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people is not a bad way to make some good.
My Projects Thus Far:
Agua Campus Program -
helping international interns find their passions, experience, and network for vocational success. Reaching out to youths and students to use our innovation/maker space. Continuing to build out the amenities (garden, agricultural innovations, water treatment prototypes, a rooftop gym, a powerful workspace, massage room, etc). Hosting education for ministries, Peace Corps, etc.
Kotu - This is the reason Agua Inc first came to Gambia. Kotu is a city, but we are referring to Kotu Ponds, a poor excuse for the disposal of excreta, but no uncommon to developing regions. The are four massive water stabilization ponds, which essentially receive major loads of sewage per day, which passes through soil barriers to become (slightly?) better quality, but is then prematurely released into the ocean, the groundwater table, and generally detriments the environment. In addition to breading mosquitoes and acting as a workplace health hazard, the biggest cringe is that the waste is not being utilized. The water could
be reused (even for drinking if need be), the solids can be processed to fuel or fertilizer, and jobs could be created.
With the help of the Ministry of Lands and other stakeholders, we are building the countries first sustainable waste water treatment system. National Change - An ongoing task of mine is to collaborate with relevant stakeholders, identify funding opportunities, and collectively move forward to change the way a nation treats their wastewater in urban and rural areas.
This means engaging a high number of honorable ministers, NGO’s and organizations such as Peace Corps, The University of The Gambia, The African Center for Democracy and Human Rights, the EU Commission, WHO, UNICEF and many more. Gambia is small and forward-minded enough that I strongly believe we can change the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector for the better, and be a part of a country-wide progression. With this, we can be an example to not just Africa, but the world.
Job Machine - As Agua Inc is full of social entrepreneurs, with a highly capable and elite network, we have a hard time turning opportunities down. Stepping outside my comfort zone with the team
(what’s business?),
we spent two months working with the Global Youth Innovation Network, the National Enterprise Development Initiative, and the American Chamber of Commerce to pitch a proposal to start a Youth Incubator Program working-titled “Job Machine.” 60%!o(MISSING)f the poor in Gambia are youth, and 40%!o(MISSING)f youth are unemployed, so an effective program helping youth start their own social businesses is a project we greatly look forward to.
Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare - Hands down one of my favorite stakeholders, the people in this ministry have helped Agua Inc get involved in the local WASH Cluster, assemble a major 60-stakeholder strong WASH mobilization meeting for Agua Inc’s technology, and include the CDC as
a great partnership for solving health-related issues in the country. How can I complain about hanging out with a bunch of ambitious crazy Gambian scientists?
Nemasu - My boss’s long-time family ecolodge, and one of our rural hubs for innovation. This beautiful beach kingdom emanates sustainability projects, and the team coos each time we have a task there. Thick foliage, friendly staff, a swing bar for soft drinks, impromptu beach breaks, and powerful community learning are
all characteristics that come to mind. Sidi, the manager, and I have been discussing
how best to mobilize profits and community resources to impact the surrounding regions, such as using revenue streams to build out the local health clinic. Responsible eco-tourism is a beautiful things, and learning more about it is a pleasure.
Abuko Nature Reserve and WWF - Those who know me well remember my lifelong and somewhat failed career goal of animal training and conservation. What didn’t pass is my love for the field. Visiting Gambia’s first nature reserve showed much of the issues with low funding, centralized treasury funds collection, understaffing, and elements of successful tourism. Recently a non-profit, Eagle Heights, are building out a new section while the park expands a few hectares to stop tourists from going to Senegal for quality animal-tourism. Hunters have demolished Gambia’s past wild fauna diversity, and now there is an opportunity to bring it back. Eagle Heights is bringing cheetahs, monkeys, rare birds, and more, but
our network includes a higher-up in WWF, and a friend of Agua Inc needs somewhere to put a large amount of lions and tigers (no bears). This may be a great
opportunity to re-involve myself on the career field I have been missing, and turn towards conservation.
The Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital - My engagement with the young physiotherapy program is evolving into workshops and future career planning. Running African programs and clinics is of high-interest for my future practice, so I am dedicating time to understanding cultural barriers, and how I can help the 80%!o(MISSING)f the world’s disabled the live in developing regions. Many of these disabled are unemployed, lack ergonomic aids, and sustainable treatment. I am pursuing the study of this in as many ways as I can, and
I know that all my activities in Agua Inc are training me for something much bigger than I could imagine.
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