Hard to believe that in 5 days I will be standing in Porto-Novo, Benin instead of Spokane, WA! I am starting to feel a bit overwhelmed by what I have left to do, although it still isn't quite feeling real that I am going to Africa and so soon. Where did my summer go?
It feels like this might be a good time to talk about one of our big projects, the Filtrons. On the left is a picture of what a finished Filtron looks like. Our first couple of days in Benin will be spent teaching our friends at the Songhai Center how to make and assemble the Filtron water purifiers (we will also be teaching our students about the Filtrons usage and care). The Filtrons utilize a double filtering process before pouring out the spigot. It works roughly the same way as a Brita Filter might, but on a larger scale. The filters remove bacteria from the water when used. The Filtrons will produce about 2 liters of water per hour.I found out today that we will be joined in Benin by Bert, a man who is part of Potters for Peace. This is the organization which created the clay pots that are the first level of water filtration in the Filtrons. He will be on hand to help us create the pots a
nd teach everyone the proper mixture of sawdust and clay for our pots. We will be kneading the clay-sawdust mixture by hand. The clay mixture then goes into a giant press that will give us the pot shape. The engineers in our group created the press, and will be bringing it to Benin to leave with the Songhai center (see picture on left). The pots will be fired in a kiln at Songhai Center. The firing process burns out the 
sawdust which leaves holes in the clay pots that the water is able to filter through. These holes remove the bacteria from the water before it goes into the second layer of filtration. After the water leaves the pot it will filter through the GAC layer. GAC is the activated carbon which both removes pollutants and helps the water to taste better (like a Brita does). The GAC will be made from coconut husks, a source that is plentiful in Benin (see picture below- raw coconut husk, carbonized pieces, GAC).
One of the things I like best about this design is that it not only purifies th
nd teach everyone the proper mixture of sawdust and clay for our pots. We will be kneading the clay-sawdust mixture by hand. The clay mixture then goes into a giant press that will give us the pot shape. The engineers in our group created the press, and will be bringing it to Benin to leave with the Songhai center (see picture on left). The pots will be fired in a kiln at Songhai Center. The firing process burns out the 
sawdust which leaves holes in the clay pots that the water is able to filter through. These holes remove the bacteria from the water before it goes into the second layer of filtration. After the water leaves the pot it will filter through the GAC layer. GAC is the activated carbon which both removes pollutants and helps the water to taste better (like a Brita does). The GAC will be made from coconut husks, a source that is plentiful in Benin (see picture below- raw coconut husk, carbonized pieces, GAC). 
e water, but it recycles a waste product. We learned during our orientation that, unlike the United States, Benin does not have any sort of waste facilities for their garbag
e, not even a dump area. So anything that can help eliminate some waste product going into the soil is awesome! The picture to the right is an example of the change in water quality after being poured through the clay filter. Notice the difference in water color.We hope that the benefits of the Filtrons will be more then just a cleaner, better-tasting water. By using a large container to house our filters, we hope to also cut down how often the people of Benin have to go for water, easing their workload. In some areas of Benin, people have to walk more then a mile to get to the nearest water source. We hope that the Filtrons will allow less trips. We also are hoping that by using a cleaner water source, the people of Benin will be able to cut down on the amount of water-borne illness that they are exposed to allowing them more healthy days to work, learn, and spend doing the things that their communities value. This is not something we will be able to assess on this trip, but as Gonzaga continues to work and travel to Porto-Novo and other communities in Benin in the future, this will be part of the data they look at.
One place where this could make a big difference is in the school at Agove. By having multiple Filtrons in use, students will no longer have to make the long trek to get water during the day, which causes them to miss out on time in school when they need water. We also hope that it will help students to keep from missing school due to illness contracted from the water sources near and at the school. As a teacher, this situation hits home the most. Anything that will help these students to get not only their education, but a chance for a healthy future. Most of the health education in Benin appears to be occurring in the schools, which will only work if the students are there.
One last picture just so you all know I really did learn how to do some of this stuff at orientation 
last May. These are my friends Nadia and Alex and I waiting to help unload a pot that was being pressed in the mold! And the second picture is us holding the pot while the jack is being lowered and taken out of position to release the pot. You might notice some plastic garbage bags. Those are used to keep the pot from sticking to the metal of the mold.
last May. These are my friends Nadia and Alex and I waiting to help unload a pot that was being pressed in the mold! And the second picture is us holding the pot while the jack is being lowered and taken out of position to release the pot. You might notice some plastic garbage bags. Those are used to keep the pot from sticking to the metal of the mold.
