Building Foundations in Nicaragua - Third and Final Day

Today we finished the third and final day of our foundation build.  With amazing support from the community we continued to dig and align the base holes and ensure they will be positioned in the correct orientation, elevation and distance from one another.  The community was quick to jump in and assist and even outpace our effort to bring the base to completion.  

Once digging and alignment completed we mixed the cement and filled each hole to the correct depths checking and rechecking measurements.  



Once the foundation work completed we refocused on skill building among the community for the more intricate pieces of the windmill.  In particular the rope pump wheel was a excellent starting point as it provides a good mix of welding, metal forming / shaping and an eye for balance and accuracy.   If this critical piece can be accurately fabricated there is no doubt field assembly by the community will be possible.

   Wheel Template and start of forming the circular base.


Wheel Template and start of forming the circular base.

We then completed our trip with a town hall meeting to continue to gather information and provide the community with updates about what is to come in our next journey down in the fall.  

The community member support has been nothing short of amazing throughout the process as you can feel the excitement among members that hope continues to pour into the community through efforts like Winds of Change.  They are now looking beyond the first windmill and attempting to solve issues they never before questioned like "What is the most effective way to distribute this water to crops?", and "How can we prepare to fabricate more windmills within the community?".  

We continue to have high confidence in the community and it further reassures us that they are an excellent choice to support and develop the design.