Abundant Water

Thank you!  We have reached the end of the year in much better shape than we started it.

It has been quite an adventure, thanks for joining us for the ride.  As you will see the past two months have been full of achievement. Here is our news.

First Village Training Session is Complete
Our project aim has always been to transfer the clay-pot water filter technology to potters in the villages. After almost 3 years of research and development, and the establishment of the compound in Vientiane, village potters are now making the filters for the first time. Join the students at the training session by following the photographs below.

Students were taught to make their own moulds from PVC pipe.

Students learnt how to find local sources of clay.

Students learnt how to make the unique Abundant Water kiln.

Students developed their pottery skills by making traditional clay
soup pots and BBQ sets.

They learnt how to shape and finish the filters.

They learnt how to fire the kiln for the right amount of time at the right heat to
produce a quality product.

Some of the completed soup pots and BBQ sets ready for use by the villagers.

The first batch of filters after firing.

The students learnt how to attach the final fittings to the filters.

There was a celebratory dinner after all the students had passed the exam.
Five students have graduated on to the next phase -
learning about micro-financed business and enterprise.

Planning is Now Underway For our Next Training Session
We aim to build on the lessons learned in the first session and scale that up
by training a cluster of 2 or 3 villages simultaneously.

Thanks For Everything!
The successful outcome of this first training session has been made possible
by the selfless contributions of many people. This session has demonstrated
what is possible and we look forward to your continued support to enable us
to share the knowledge and technology of clay-pot water filters with more villages.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

To view this newsletter on the web, go to:
http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=3e5ead21eb1ad6eb65d530225&id=e3f8f9720b&e=39bd157f90