Our Thanksgiving potluck was successful! We had mashed sweet potatoes, blondies, cupcakes, apple cider and more! There was more than enough food to go around and we tried to mix in with the Guatemala group since we don't usually have the time to talk and meet with them. We also had a guest speaker, Dustin James, who is building eco-domes in San Jacinto. He shared his plans for the area and showed the progress of one of his eco-domes. EWB-UCLA is invited to come with Dustin this winter break to help in the construction of the eco-domes! This is a great opportunity to help others and learn about engineering; basically a chance to be an engineer without borders! If interested email Dustin at dustinfjames@gmail.com
In terms of fundraising for our project, Karen has shared a Google Doc with grant resources and will help us be more organized and efficient in applying for grants. Be sure to check out the document and start working on a grant if you see no one else is working on it!
There will be no meeting next week since it will be dead week, the week before finals! Have a great Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Plywood, Partners, and Potluck
Great news! We are pretty sure that we can get plywood in Nicaragua! If the right kind of plywood is available in Nicaragua, it would make the design and construction of the schoolhouse a lot easier. During today's design meeting, we had a bigger group of people and we discussed our alternative, trusses, if we could not use plywood. Once we can confirm that there is plywood, we can start to get all the details and logistics of the design.
In the general meeting, we decided to partner up people to apply for grants. Since the EWB organization will begin to charge $500 for assessment trips and $1000 for implementation trips, we need to raise even more money!
Lastly, we ended the meeting with tentative plans for a potluck next week! We want the meeting to be short since Thanksgiving break will be starting and what better way to celebrate and be thankful than with a plethora of good food!
In the general meeting, we decided to partner up people to apply for grants. Since the EWB organization will begin to charge $500 for assessment trips and $1000 for implementation trips, we need to raise even more money!
Lastly, we ended the meeting with tentative plans for a potluck next week! We want the meeting to be short since Thanksgiving break will be starting and what better way to celebrate and be thankful than with a plethora of good food!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Trying to get creative...
Did you know a school in Guatemala was built using plastic bottles?
Today in the design meeting and in our general meeting, we placed emphasis on discussing the materials we wanted to use to build the schoolhouse. Currently, our ideal material is using plywood but we do not know if we can get plywood in Nicaragua. Our options seem to be limited because Las Brenas, the community where we are building the school, is in a remote area. From the capital of Nicaragua, it takes multiple hours of bus rides, boat rides and mule rides to get to our destination so transporting materials is a big issue. If anyone has any ideas, even as creative as using plastic bottles, they would be welcome and feel free to come to our design meetings which are held an hour before the general meeting starts in the same place! (And if you're curious as to how the plastic bottles were used, check out the link on our Google Group: EWBUCLA Nicaragua-Sanitation)
And as always, we are still working hard to get grants, the fuel that drives our project forward.
Today in the design meeting and in our general meeting, we placed emphasis on discussing the materials we wanted to use to build the schoolhouse. Currently, our ideal material is using plywood but we do not know if we can get plywood in Nicaragua. Our options seem to be limited because Las Brenas, the community where we are building the school, is in a remote area. From the capital of Nicaragua, it takes multiple hours of bus rides, boat rides and mule rides to get to our destination so transporting materials is a big issue. If anyone has any ideas, even as creative as using plastic bottles, they would be welcome and feel free to come to our design meetings which are held an hour before the general meeting starts in the same place! (And if you're curious as to how the plastic bottles were used, check out the link on our Google Group: EWBUCLA Nicaragua-Sanitation)
And as always, we are still working hard to get grants, the fuel that drives our project forward.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Getting started on designing!
In this week's meeting, we mostly discussed the design of the schoolhouse that we are planning to build in Las Brenas, Nicaragua. We talked about or mostly heard what our more knowledgeable graduate students said about what type of foundation we wanted to use for the school, what type of materials we wanted to use, and how we could build a more sustainable structure. So starting next week, people interested in designing the school are going to meet an hour before EWB meetings begin. There will be four groups designing the foundation of the school, roof of the school, water catchment system and latrines. Anyone who wants to help out or is just interested should come, besides, wouldn't it be cool to say you were a part of designing a building?
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Grant us some money, please
Grants=Money=A green light for designing and building the schoolhouse.
The focus of today's meeting was applying for grants. Without grants, Project S.E.D. (Sanitation, Education and Development) will be incomplete due to lack of funding! People were put into groups of three and given a grant to work on. This week everyone will be filling out applications for grants and by the end of next week, any questions about the application will be answered and we can turn in our grant requests. Then, hopefully, we'll hear back with good news!
The focus of today's meeting was applying for grants. Without grants, Project S.E.D. (Sanitation, Education and Development) will be incomplete due to lack of funding! People were put into groups of three and given a grant to work on. This week everyone will be filling out applications for grants and by the end of next week, any questions about the application will be answered and we can turn in our grant requests. Then, hopefully, we'll hear back with good news!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Day-by-Day Snapshots of the Nicaragua Site Assessment Trip in June
June 14: All eight members of the team arrive and meet at Managua. They spend the night at Managua Backpacker's Inn. 
June 15- The team travels on bus and boat (known as a panga) to reach Bluefields and meet with our NGO contact, Marvin, to discuss travel plans to the two communities.
June 16- After purchasing supplies (gas for the pangas, rice, beans, etc.), the team travels to San Sebastian and checks on the latrines. They also meet with a representative from an NGO called BlueEnergy with whom EWB can possibly partner with in the future. They speak with families who own the latrines and find that overall, the latrines are clean and maintained well!
June 17- The team examines the schoolhouse in San Sebastian to get an idea of how they want to construct the new school in Las Brenas. Then the group braves the rain and take a four-hour long mule ride to Las Brenas.
June 18- At Las Brenas, the group holds a community meeting to discuss with the families the planning of the future schoolhouse. Then, they inspect a possible location for the school and gather information that will help in designing the new school.
June 19- Lots of traveling: the team leaves Las Brenas (by mules once again) to San Sebastian and then back to Bluefields by pangas.
June 20- The team meets with a contractor to discuss the schoolhouse designs and then meets one last time with Marvin to discuss future building plans.
June 21- After a successful site assessment, the team embarks home from Managua Airport.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Beginning a New Year
Last Tuesday, the 28th, EWB-UCLA held its first meeting of the year and there was an overwhelming turnout! Room 38-138 in Engineering IV was filled with a variety of people, from freshmen to graduate students, even a student from another college campus but all eager to learn about Engineers Without Borders. A Powerpoint presentation gave an informative overview about our two main projects in Guatemala and Nicaragua. Nathan, our President, also mentioned BOOTUP (refurbishing donated computers to give to charity) and suggested that members could also start local projects.
In this week's meeting, after everyone introduced themselves and shared their favorite ice cream flavor, it was expressed that fall quarter would emphasize fundraising. Oren asked that everyone research grants that our Nicaragua SED Project could apply for. Every bit of money helps and can go a long way. In our case, it could give a child the gift of an education. Let's hope that we can raise enough money to get our schoolhouse started as soon as possible!
In this week's meeting, after everyone introduced themselves and shared their favorite ice cream flavor, it was expressed that fall quarter would emphasize fundraising. Oren asked that everyone research grants that our Nicaragua SED Project could apply for. Every bit of money helps and can go a long way. In our case, it could give a child the gift of an education. Let's hope that we can raise enough money to get our schoolhouse started as soon as possible!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Hello All! So just to keep you updated, our group had a successful assessment/post implementation trip this past summer break back in Kukra River. Below you will find a series of photos taken from that trip. Further details from the trip will be posted shortly.
The entire traveling team
Traveling between locations
Checking up on the latrines that were constructed one year prior
Hanging with the children!
The entire traveling team
Traveling between locations
Checking up on the latrines that were constructed one year prior
Hanging with the children!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Project updates !
hello everyone !
Our School-house project in kukra river region of Nicaragua is very much underway. here are some project updates :
1. In terms of grant, Lawrence foundation offered to help our project with $5,000 !
2. Our 521 form has been approved which approves our site assessment trip.Thus It is official that site assessment trip is taking place from June 13th to June 21st.
3. We are almost done making a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU). The purpose of MOU is to establish an agreement between us and the community about the project.
4. We have compiled many interview questions to ask the community members during our trip.
5. We used the Engineering Alumni Association funding to purchase necessary tools (GPS,medical kits,water purifier etc) for the site assessment trip.
here is the agenda for our site assessment :
Day 0 (June 13th)
Travel LAX to Atlanta
Atlanta to Managua
Day 1 (June 14th)
Arrive Managua
Meet up at hostel
Exchange $
Meet up with everyone
Day 2 (June 15th)
Wake up early
Go to Bus station. Take the bus to Rama.
Check hard-ware stores at Rama
Go to Bluefields
Stay at the hostel
Check hardware stores
Get supplies/food
Buy boots
Day 3 (June 16th)
Wake up early. Meet Marvin
Talk to Marvin: construction for projects, contact with ministry of education, travel plans, get level/ tools.
Take the boat to San Sebastian
· Check on the latrines.
· Ask them interview question
Day 4 (June 17th)
Meet other families
Interview questions
Meet Cipriano
Check problems with the latrines
Leave for Las Brenas
Possibly meet with the community
Debrief
Day 5 (June 18th)
Site survey
Interviews surrounding community
Soil tests
Pictures of people’s homes
Coordinates
Meet with the community
MOU Signed
Debrief
Day 6 (June 19th)
Possibly work ½ day.
Travel back
Debrief
Day 7 (June 20th)
Travel
Day 8 (June 21st)
Leave
Email Oren (personal debrief)
Problems
Things accomplished
Best and worst part of the trip
What to do differently next time
Pictures (zip file)
Health problems
Post assessment (Henry, Warren, Eugene and Eric)
After our site assessment, I will update you with pictures and a summary of tasks accomplished. That's all for now.
Our School-house project in kukra river region of Nicaragua is very much underway. here are some project updates :
1. In terms of grant, Lawrence foundation offered to help our project with $5,000 !
2. Our 521 form has been approved which approves our site assessment trip.Thus It is official that site assessment trip is taking place from June 13th to June 21st.
3. We are almost done making a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU). The purpose of MOU is to establish an agreement between us and the community about the project.
4. We have compiled many interview questions to ask the community members during our trip.
5. We used the Engineering Alumni Association funding to purchase necessary tools (GPS,medical kits,water purifier etc) for the site assessment trip.
here is the agenda for our site assessment :
Day 0 (June 13th)
Travel LAX to Atlanta
Atlanta to Managua
Day 1 (June 14th)
Arrive Managua
Meet up at hostel
Exchange $
Meet up with everyone
Day 2 (June 15th)
Wake up early
Go to Bus station. Take the bus to Rama.
Check hard-ware stores at Rama
Go to Bluefields
Stay at the hostel
Check hardware stores
Get supplies/food
Buy boots
Day 3 (June 16th)
Wake up early. Meet Marvin
Talk to Marvin: construction for projects, contact with ministry of education, travel plans, get level/ tools.
Take the boat to San Sebastian
· Check on the latrines.
· Ask them interview question
Day 4 (June 17th)
Meet other families
Interview questions
Meet Cipriano
Check problems with the latrines
Leave for Las Brenas
Possibly meet with the community
Debrief
Day 5 (June 18th)
Site survey
Interviews surrounding community
Soil tests
Pictures of people’s homes
Coordinates
Meet with the community
MOU Signed
Debrief
Day 6 (June 19th)
Possibly work ½ day.
Travel back
Debrief
Day 7 (June 20th)
Travel
Day 8 (June 21st)
Leave
Email Oren (personal debrief)
Problems
Things accomplished
Best and worst part of the trip
What to do differently next time
Pictures (zip file)
Health problems
Post assessment (Henry, Warren, Eugene and Eric)
After our site assessment, I will update you with pictures and a summary of tasks accomplished. That's all for now.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Hello everyone !
i'm very excited to share with you that we are beginning a new project in Nicaragua. We are planning to build a schoolhouse with a water-catchment system in the Kukra river region to serve the agrarian community of Las Breñas. People in this community do not have access to potable water and must drink from the same murky water in which they bathe. There is also a great need for a schoolhouse in Las Breñas, as there is a large number of children that currently do not attend school simply because the only schoolhouse within the area is located over an hour away by foot.
Here are some project updates:
1. We are planning to do our site assessment right after spring quarter ends. The estimated dates are from June 12th to June 20th.
2. There will be 2 groups for the site assessment : Latrine group, and Schoolhouse group. Latrine group will go to San Sebastian to check the status on our compost latrines and evaluate them. And the schoolhouse group will go to Las Breñas to evaluate the site for schoolhouse construction.
3. We have two professional engineers that will be going with us on the site assessment to guide us.
4. We managed to get pocket penetrometer and vane shear tools for field testing purposes.
5. We are looking to buy a GPS Unit for the upcoming trip.
6. In terms of grants, we are still waiting to hear back from all the grants that we submitted.
More updates to come soon !
i'm very excited to share with you that we are beginning a new project in Nicaragua. We are planning to build a schoolhouse with a water-catchment system in the Kukra river region to serve the agrarian community of Las Breñas. People in this community do not have access to potable water and must drink from the same murky water in which they bathe. There is also a great need for a schoolhouse in Las Breñas, as there is a large number of children that currently do not attend school simply because the only schoolhouse within the area is located over an hour away by foot.
Here are some project updates:
1. We are planning to do our site assessment right after spring quarter ends. The estimated dates are from June 12th to June 20th.
2. There will be 2 groups for the site assessment : Latrine group, and Schoolhouse group. Latrine group will go to San Sebastian to check the status on our compost latrines and evaluate them. And the schoolhouse group will go to Las Breñas to evaluate the site for schoolhouse construction.
3. We have two professional engineers that will be going with us on the site assessment to guide us.
4. We managed to get pocket penetrometer and vane shear tools for field testing purposes.
5. We are looking to buy a GPS Unit for the upcoming trip.
6. In terms of grants, we are still waiting to hear back from all the grants that we submitted.
More updates to come soon !
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