Equals3 Foundation

Back in the States and working on the next project

2011-09-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

Just arrived back in the states and already busy working on the next two projects. I have been making some design changes to support the increased power requirements to run a remote clinic. Equals3's goal is to only have two very specific designs. One to run our school program and the second to run our clinic program. The school system is working extremely well and we have refined the components and installation process to a point where we can meet 95% of the schools needs. This solution saves money, installation time, and support while still giving a remote school ample power to meet almost all of their requirements! The clinic program is a bit more complicated because of the need to power additional medical equipment. I am busy working with the local development community in Kenya to try and accurately determine what the true clinic requirements are so we can find a way to package a solution similar to how we deliver power to a school. Once we understand that, we can find a way to package a consistent clinic solution so we can build it cheaper, faster, and make it so it can easily be maintained for several clinics. Man...this is fun stuff! John

Visited Sereliopi school

2011-09-11T02:13:00.000-07:00

Took a drive east towards Somalia to visit a Samburu school. Equals3 has agreed to get involved with NRT to assist in projects for the Northern Territory of Kenya. Check out our links page of the website for details on NRT. They are an amazing organization that has the community development skills we require to have success with our projects. The photo is of the village that surrounds the school. I spent about 30 minutes with the head master discussing the challenges of educating a nomadic culture. I continue to learn so much. John
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Singing Wells of Samburu

2011-09-10T01:27:00.001-07:00

Visited the singing wells of Samburu. Tribes have been coming to the wells for generations. The wells can be as deep as seven people depending on the drought. They use cans to hand the water up to each person and they sign songs to alert their specific herds to come to the water. Each family has its own song for their herds. The animals know the family song to come for water. You are not allowed to photograph the Samburu people and the wells. Very limited information exists about the wells because the Samburu wells are very private. The photo is of one of the elders spears which he allowed me to take. John
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Our Samburu Guide

2011-09-10T01:05:00.000-07:00

Went for a walk through the lower plains of our camp at Sarara. Being on foot is wonderful because you can engage wildlife at eye level. We had a guide with us that was showing us tracks and explaining sounds and plants. The photo is of our guides assistant who was there is case we stumbled upon an elephant or Leopard.
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Leaving Lewa for Sarara

2011-09-09T01:06:00.001-07:00

Heading north for a few days to see the Mathews Range. Heard amazing things about the area and Sarara Camp. We chartered a Sesna 206 for the journey. John
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Our next project

2011-09-08T11:42:00.001-07:00

We site reviewed Equals3's next project. Loborua Clinic which serves several thousand people is located in a Masaii village near our Leparua school project. Power is a critical step for this clinic to attract nurses and doctors. Also the facility needs to have basic lab equipment and refrigeration. This will save many lives. The closest clinic with power is a days walk. This location is perfect for our design and equipment and we are starting now to raise money for a 2012 installation. Your donations will go a long way to making this happen. Please go to our website or click on the donate link on the right. Thank you for all the support. John
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Visited Leparua school

2011-09-08T06:34:00.001-07:00

Went back and checked in on Leparua primary school where our first two projects have occurred. Things looked great. The power system is working perfectly and I was able to review data from the system and see how and what they school has been doing. They requested adding another room with lights for additional evening classes. Based on how well they have been managing the power, it is not a problem. The head master was so happy with the news. They will now raise the money for the wiring and lights! It was great to see everything working perfectly and to hear the stories of success from the teachers. John

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Our work is done!

2011-09-08T06:09:00.001-07:00

We are heading back to camp from Karimba with the worst ladder ever made. All is good. We heard exciting reports from the teachers via the Lewa community development. They have so many exciting plans for students and parents now that they have electricity. John
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An exciting moment

2011-09-07T08:06:00.000-07:00

Nathan Muthomi is one of the committee members for education at Karimba school. He was there when we powered on the lights for the first time. He was speechless. He brought is son Jacob over to see the event because Jacob will be one of the first students that will be using the lights for evening preps. Jacob is hoping to get a scholarship to attend high school. Kids only get to study past eighth grade if they have good grades and evening classes will help these children improve their chances. John
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We have power at Karimba

2011-09-07T07:17:00.001-07:00

It was long day but we completed everything at Karimba primary school. Because some equipment we purchased in Nairobi was not actually what we requested, we had a few technical issues to resolve that we would not normally face. Some wiring was mismarked and installed wrong so we had to climb back up to the panels and re-wire. The problem was that all we had was a bent 16foot ladder that we would not even allow in the US. With some rope and stupidity I climb up to confirm the error and attempted to correct it. It became clear that I would need a 7ft basketball player to reach the connectors so I had to go with option 2. You guess it. Option 1 was bad so option 2 was worse. I put on protective eye wear and gloves and re-wire hot leads in the junction box to correct the errors above. It worked great. I only got shocked once and had only two small spark events that freaked out everyone. I don't recommend doing this at home but for anyone who knows me option two is no surprise. Several hours later we were up and running with everyone cheering. Over the next month Lewa will be funding more lights and power outlets to run laptops. Now it is time for me to have a few beers! John
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Another day another flat tire

2011-09-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

We keep getting our exercise changing tires. Another flat cause by tough road conditions. We are out of spare tires now (smile)
John
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Local Rug Weaving

2011-09-06T03:05:00.001-07:00

Visited a group of woman that hand weave rugs today. They are located on Lewa and sell the rugs at gift shops at the high end tourist lodges. They were wonderful and gave us a tour. They start with wool sheered locally and they spin the yarn in the building next to the looms. All the spinning is done by hand on old style wheels. Artists have created several patterns and images which are then hand weaved on several looms. This is a great example of how small enterprises can be successful. It was a great visit and the women could not have been more gracious. John
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The Drive

2011-09-06T02:30:00.000-07:00

No surprise when the rains come the driving gets more difficult. With all the holes and ruts the terrain can be a challenge. The schools we are visiting are not in easy locations to visit so we end up with a lot of road damage. This trip we have had 2 blown tires, a busted mirror and several slides down hills and roads. No worries...the 4x4 is fine...not so sure about us! John
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We are almost done at Karimba!

2011-09-05T07:48:00.000-07:00

Had a busy day today working at Karimba. We got about 95% of the installation complete. The last 5% is always the worst. We have power running but 4 solar panels need to be re-wired. They are very high off the ground and these panels arrived incorrect connections on them. Not a surprise the connections were wrong when dealing with vendors in Nairobi. We are still learning who we can trust! Sorry I diverged...we tried to make the connections on the panels work but it seems to have failed. We need to get back up there and cut and strip the wires the old fashioned way. Sounds simple but we don't have any normal ladders to reach this area. I know I will dream something up. We also need to connect the system to the building junction box. We are requesting that the school buy the wire as they need to invest in the electricity they will be getting. We should be back on Wednesday to complete everything! The good news is the everything has been tested and it works great. John
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Sunday a day of rest

2011-09-04T12:05:00.000-07:00

Today we took it easy. I did a run to the school this morning and checked on few things we need for tomorrow. We all met up later to visit the equator to work on our tans. Actually, we stopped in at one of the oldest and beautiful clubs in Africa. The Mount Kenya Safari Club is amazing and you feel like you are transported back in time. John
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Nothing goes to waste

2011-09-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

The head master at the school has been so gracious and thankful for our efforts. We were in the process of cleaning up the cardboard packing material to take back with us to Lewa when he made a request to keep it. He explained that at this school they offer 3-5 year olds day-care to assist the parents who work in the fields farming and the cardboard will make great story boards for the kids to draw on and place on the walls. Very cool...

I think that he may have been more excited about the large cardboard sheets than the actual power system! (just kidding). John

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Solar Panels are installed

2011-09-03T11:46:00.001-07:00

We rigged a truck to support a ladder and were able to get the solar panels bolted and wired into place. The new solar frame kit I designed worked great but we ran into a snag with ground wiring which we will fix on Monday. I will have the designs modified for the next project to fix the issue. Each time we do this we improve the process. Rain was our enemy today. When we got to Karimba, the roads were washed out. If the rains continue, we might face delays next week. We also had to modify the equipment mounting board in the building to handle the amount of equipment we have to install. This was no easy task since we had to cut a 4ft long board with only a hacksaw blade. Really...that is all we had. It took about an hour of sawing but we got it done! Monday we will be back to install the power equipment if the weather permits. Thanks for all the great emails and support. John
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Loading trucks for Karimba

2011-09-03T05:53:00.001-07:00

We set out this morning with two trucks and some local labor to deliver and install the heavy equipment. Once everything is there, we can attempt to install the solar panels. While the weather is ok where are storage facility is located on Lewa, we are headed up to the Mt Kenya hills where the rains have started. It is surprisingly cool here and cold where we are working. Karimba is at over 7000ft elevation and has started the rainy season. John
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Elvis is in the house

2011-09-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

I walked out of my room unaware that Elvis was next to me. He is a young black rhino who hangs out in the area. His mother is blind and Elvis was bottle fed when he was young. He is wild but likes to hang around humans. He has no idea how strong or big he is. I sat and watch him for an hour devour all the nice plants next to our building. He snapped a tasty tree in half so he could eat it easier. Finally people came to run him off the property and try and save the landscape. I think he will be back tonight! John
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Site review of Karimba

2011-09-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

We did the site review of Karimba school today. On this project we were less hands on compared to the last one. I supplied details technical drawings I created based on the last project with a list of things to be constructed. I was a bit concerned on how this would work out but I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived. They had completed all of the tasks and had resolved some of the more challenging issues. They installed the frame structure higher than we expected. The good news is that the panels will be safer from theft. The bad news is we are not sure how to get the panels installed at that height. We spent the day trying to buy a few 15foot ladders but none exist within a few hundred miles. We have decided to build a rig on a truck we can borrow and use it to climb up under the frame. I am sure pictures will follow after we try tomorrow! Should be fun. We also have an issue on the power room we had built with how the mounting boards are installed. We are going to take them down tomorrow and try and cut them to size. We only have a small hand saw so it will be a challenge. More to follow...wish us luck!
John
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Lewa Communications Director

2011-09-02T07:12:00.001-07:00

Met with Ruwaydah Abdul-Rahman today and discussed how to take advantage of our joint efforts to get the word out about Lewa and Equals3. They will be issuing out an eNews letter next week which will include a story about our Karimba project plus links to our site and blog. The news letter goes out worldwide to Lewa donors. On our sites we have links to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and we will be adding more links that reflect education and conservation and how the two work together. John
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Meeting with Lewa Education Director

2011-09-01T08:58:00.001-07:00

Had a great meeting with Faith Ruinga, Lewa Education Director. Without her groups support, the school power systems we install would not be used by the community effectively. It is essential that the areas we work in have a strong community development organization. They do the real work to educate the community and to bring other donors to the area to assist in bringing computers and education to the community. Faith is standing in front of a mural that has been painted in the new education center at Lewa. It will be used to educate children on why conservation brings real opportunity to the surrounding areas. It is a very effective tool against poaching. John
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Arrived at Lewa

2011-09-01T01:47:00.001-07:00

We arrived at Lewa to start the Karimba school project. We had a chance to meet with the new CEO of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Mike Watson, on our way to our accommodations. We talked about all of the projects that are ahead of us and the expansion of Lewa's role in community development with the Northern Range Trust. There are many projects we can assist on over the next several years. Most importantly, there are school and clinic projects that will need our skills to help jump start electricity to solve other critical issues. Exciting times ahead! Visit www.Equals3Foundation.org for links to Lewa and NRT. John
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David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage

2011-08-31T08:26:00.001-07:00

Arrived in Nairobi and getting ready to head out tomorrow to the school project near Lewa. Took a moment to visit the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage. It is an incredible program that rescues infants and helps get them healthy and mature enough to be released back into the wild. There is a great article this month in National Geographic about the organization and what they do. It also highlights all the challenges of poaching and the ivory trade. Worth a read. John
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A great way to start our trip to Kenya

2011-08-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to pass along an email I received today.

I have been working very closely over the past few months with Faith Ruinga who heads up education development for Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and she sent me this email yesterday which puts into perspective why we do this and the positive impact Equals3 Foundation can have at Karimba Primary School.

FROM FAITH****************

John,

We are all looking forward to seeing you. I was in Karimba yesterday and the reception is unbelievable! The parents are so excited and are looking forward to bringing in the children for evening preps and waiting for them while attending adult classes and then walking home together at nine. Was very interesting to hear their plans.

See you soon, a different community it is that awaits you.

Many thanks

Faith

*************************

Sometimes it all feels worth the effort.
John

We are on our way to Karimba School - Kenya!

2011-08-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

Well it took over 6 months and tons of logistical issues but we are on our way to back for our next school project in central Kenya. Karimba primary school is located near Mt Kenya in the highlands that surround the mountain. This school supports approximately 300 children as well as adult education. The photo above is the library where we will be adding electricity for evening education and daytime use.

We will be working in the area between September 1st and September 12th. Please visit the blog often for stories and photos. I will be posting daily.

Thanks for all the support.
John

It is official!

2011-06-10T12:59:00.000-07:00

Equals3 Foundation is now a public 501(c)(3) charity. All gifts are deductible to the full extent allowable under IRS regulations.

Over the next few months, we will be implementing new online programs to make it even easier to send a gift. Until that time, you can go to our website to for the latest details on how to donate.

www.Equals3Foundation.org

I just want to thank everyone involved in getting this done. Your support has been amazing.
John

Crating the Power System for Karimba

2011-04-14T15:44:00.000-07:00

We are well on our way to getting everything we need over to Kenya for our project at Karimba primary school. We have already procured in country the necessary batteries and solar panels and have had them trucked to our storage location at Lewa. We have also hired people to build our solar panels frames and complete the changes to the school to make the system secure. We are just about to ship the electronic components. The electronics have been assembled and tested in Ojai to make sure we can rapidly install everything once we arrive. From the time we crate a system to the time it arrives on site usual takes between 2-3 months because of all the approvals that have to happen before we airfreight the unit and the customs clearing when it arrives. Yes, we are air freighting the system and it still takes that long. Planning and logistics are always the biggest challenge but we are getting better at it. Mostly because we now understand all the pieces involved.

Hopefully all will go smooth and we will be installing in August!
John

Nairobi logistics meeting

2011-02-22T10:22:00.001-08:00

We arrived back to Nairobi and had a logistics meeting with a recommended company that has a lot of experience with crate shipping for NGO's. It was very educational and with a little work we should be able to simplify some processes which should save the foundation time and money. Our next school project is Karimba which is shown above. Amazingly we need to be ready to ship equipment in the next few months if we want to install electricity by the end of August. It is very hard for us to get used to having to plan so far in advance for projects but it is the way of Africa...

Thank you all for the great emails and support. We should be home in a few days and already have so much work to do for Equals3! Sounds like fun...

John
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Joy's Camp

2011-02-19T11:23:00.000-08:00

We arrived in north Kenya on a reserve call Shaba. When we landed, it was hot and everything around was dead from no water. We drove quite a distance over rock and dirt and to be honest, I was a bit concerned that this lodge may not be what I had hoped for. Joy's Camp is made famous by the book and movie "Born Free" and we had heard great things about this arid desert area. When we finally arrived I could not have been more surprised. In this dry and dusty area lay an amazing oasis fed by several natural springs. The luxury camp site is one of the best I have seen with all of the designs reflecting the Muslim culture of the area.

We have also met several people who are working on community projects that we may able to assist with in the future.

John
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Our ride

2011-02-19T08:34:00.000-08:00

Our charter arrived to take us north and I was not if we would fit! We squeezed all of the luggage in and flew off without a problem. From the air we were able to get much better sense of the landscape and effects of they drought. Luckily, the area received its first rain since October a few days earlier and had given everything some temporary relief. From the air you could see the drought impact as we headed toward Somalia. The landscape looks completely burnt and most of the trees are dead. I am surprised that anything can survive on this area.

John
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Elvis

2011-02-19T04:08:00.000-08:00

On our way to the air strip we stopped at a friends house on LEWA to say goodbye. We got a chance to meet Elvis the young wild Rhino. He was born on LEWA to a blind female and after birth was raised by the park because she could not take care of him. In this picture he was trying to get past the fence into the yard and decided to eat his way out. He is wild but I was able to touch his skin through the fence. It is amazingly thick and feels like thick rubber.

John
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Goodbye to LEWA

2011-02-19T03:59:00.001-08:00

We have finished all of our work and meetings at LEWA and are getting ready to head north for a few days. Not sure what we will find because of the drought. We are moving off the plateau to the more northern dessert areas. I had to take one last photo of the incredible elephants.

John
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New Job

2011-02-18T05:37:00.000-08:00

Carl and I have news jobs! We were headed back up to do a final review of our power system and meet with the school headmaster. Since it is Friday here people are heading home for the weekend. Most people work where the jobs are during the week and sleep in work supplied housing and go home for long weekends when they get a chance. Several people were walking to the village where we were headed so we offered rides for free. The walk would be about 12 miles through difficult terrain so the ride was greatly appreciated. Around Kenya there are small vans call MATATOOS which people can pile into for a fee. Carl and I where thinking of ways to increase our passenger count to make some money so we can get home.

John
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Karimba Primary School

2011-02-17T09:22:00.000-08:00

Today we site visited our next school to determine what we need to have built locally before we arrive in the fall. We were so excited that we started off to the school location on a paved road. It was our first drive in a week on roads that were somewhat smooth. We drove about 45 minutes on the main road which goes up and around Mt Kenya. All smiles, we turned on a dirt road expecting to be nearby only to realize we had another 45 minutes of driving over dirt and rocks. Once we arrived, we understood why this school will never get main line power. The teachers and school were expecting us and gave us a warm welcome. Since we have a developed a power installation blueprint, we were able to determine all the requirements very easily and make the plans for the required construction. The kids sang songs for us and we also visited the only children's nursery on the area.

If funding goes well, we should return in August to complete the project. The hard work begins now as we manage construction, order and ship equipment, and manage getting everything on site...

Let the fun begin!!!!!!
John
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What we learned

2011-02-16T21:42:00.000-08:00

It was great to be able to visit our previous installation and learn how the power we are generating is being used. We were pleasantly surprised at how much the school and community were positively doing with the electricity supplied. The school had decided to divided the library into 2 sections so students in the back could self study in the evening while a teacher could hold an evening class in the front. They used the book shelves already in the library to separate the areas. We also learned that the local community had started to used the building for evening meetings of the village elders. During the day they are charging 14 lanterns for the teachers to take home at night as well as cell phones. Carl and I also donated a computer and printer on our last visit which the teachers have been using to start teaching basic skills. There are computer teaching aids available and approved by the Kenyan government that they will use once they get more laptops donated.

John
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She stole my heart

2011-02-16T10:38:00.000-08:00

Sheeba, who is about 5 months old, was rescued recently and is being rehabilitated. We were fortunate to be invited to meet her. I spent about an hour playing with her and being climbed and chewed upon. She is incredible and she stole my heart...John
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Upgrade at Laparua was a success!

2011-02-16T10:31:00.000-08:00

Carl and I finished the power equipment upgrade today at Laparua primary school. Everything went very smooth but it took a lot of time and hard work. We added additional equipment to support more evening classes for the children. They are now splitting the library into 2 areas so they can have a study area and a classroom. We also learned that the community has begun to use the library to hold important village meetings. We are off tomorrow to site plan Karimba school which we hope to complete by the fall.

Thank you everyone for all the great emails supporting our efforts.

John
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Ndare Ngare Cleanup

2011-02-15T09:06:00.000-08:00

Today we took a break from working on power to help a local community pick up plastic and trash. The local school children were part of the education program to help them understand the value of throwing trash away properly. We spent the morning helping organize and photograph the event. We collected 20 bags of trash around the school and town. The children have only experienced throwing trash on the ground with no regard to the environment. We picked up plastic, paper, metal, shoes, and batteries to be recycled.

Hopefully this will be the start of a new program on the area. It will be hard to change what is now ingrained into them. When we finished cleaning the area, we handed a water bottle to one of the organizers and he opened the bottle and threw the lid on the ground. It was indicative of the challenge ahead. After we all jump on him and scolded him for what he did, I doubt he will do it again.

John

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Great Help!

2011-02-14T11:00:00.000-08:00

We spent the day working at Leparua school reconfiguring and expanding the power system. It was a long day of work and 4x4ing but we accomplished a lot. We were lucky enough to be assisted be two Italian volunteer teachers living in the local village. Olmo and Olivia have been working at the school for several months and have been using the power to teach children in the evening and also teach them basic computer skills during the day. Amazingly, Olmo and Olivia found about the school when they were searching the web for poverty education programs and their searches brought up our web site and the school. Once they saw all the pictures online and realized the school had solar power they new it was a perfect fit for their skills.

I love this story...John
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Working to Support Mt Kenya Wildlife

2011-02-13T10:34:00.002-08:00

Carl and I were recruited by our friends at Lewa to help support a major mountain bike race that raises money to protect Mt Kenya Wildlife. A group of us were sent out into the bush to hand out water and give directions to riders. There was a lot of confusion around the race and all the water stops. We had to send one group right and the other left...we did pretty good after about the first 20 riders. Sadly, the first 20 were the top international riders and we may have sent them in the wrong direction. Lucky for us we did not see them again! John
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Save the Rhino

2011-02-13T10:34:00.001-08:00

On my plane ride into LEWA I met a woman who handles fund raising for Save the Rhino International. She was on her to Borona Ranch which is adjacent to the area we are working in. Borona Ranch is interested in opening part of their ranch to support the protection of Rhino which are endangered. She is there to determine the feasibility of the project and to see how Save the Rhino International can help financially.

Check out their web site at www.savetherhino.org

John
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Drought at LEWA

2011-02-13T10:33:00.000-08:00

Arriving to LEWA we got to see first hand the current drought and the effect that it has had on the animals and landscape. Fires are burning on and around Mt Kenya and water can only be found in streams which are fed by springs. The photo shows how grey and burnt the grasslands are which are of no nutritional value to animals for food. Rains are not expected for a few more months. John
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View from the Air

2011-02-12T03:33:00.000-08:00

This a photo I took when we left Wilson Airport near Nairobi. It is of one of many slums in the area and if you look in the background you can see the contrast between the slum and new development. This contrast is occurring all over Nairobi.

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In Nairobi

2011-02-11T13:20:00.001-08:00

We arrived into Nairobi late last night and spent the day running errands and scheduling meetings. We had a wonderful dinner tonight with our friends at Tropical Ice Safari. They handle all of our East Africa travel arrangements and scheduling. Their support has been instrumental in getting things done for the foundation. They just launched a new web site showing all of their trips and adventures so please check it out. The link is on the right hand side of the blog. We fly out tomorrow on a bush plane to start working at Lewa. Wish us luck...

John
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We are heading back!

2011-01-07T13:23:00.000-08:00

We finally have more equipment on its way and we will be back at Leparua school to expand the power system and learn more about how it is being used first hand. We then will be off the Karimba school for site preparation (we will be installing in August 2011). While the process of getting more equipment to Leparua has taken longer than we had hoped, the learning process has been amazing and we now understand better how power will be used in these remote environments. By the time we do Karimba school in August, we will have a packaged power system we can replicate to more schools in 2012. We are just at the beginning of this journey but the momentum is starting to build.
Thank you for all the support - John

Equals3 Foundation is Official

2010-11-24T15:30:00.000-08:00

We have finally completed the necessary paperwork to form Equals3 Foundation. It has been on our to-do-list for awhile but so many other project requests got in the way. This past week we also filed our federal IRS paperwork to make the foundation a tax exempt organization (501c3). Hopefully, in the next several months we will receive our IRS acceptance letter and be able to accept tax exempt donations. Thank you to everyone involved for all the support on this. - John

The show is up for viewing through November 14th

2010-11-05T08:19:00.000-07:00

Equals3 Gallery Event

2010-10-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

We had a very successful event on Saturday night at The/Main Gallery. The gallery has allowed us to use their space the a few weeks to highlight our efforts in Kenya and to help raise money for the next power system. We had over 200 people attend and they were able to see photographs, learn about our poverty mission, and see an actual power system that we will be shipping to Africa.

The photo above is of an entire wall that we covered with children faces from Lepaura school where we installed the last power system. The show will be up at the gallery until early November. If you are in the area, please stop in and see the exhibit. Location details are listed on the poster at the top of the blog. - John

It works!!

2010-08-27T15:09:00.000-07:00

This is a short video of power being tested at Leparua primary school when we installed the system in June 2010.

Recyling Project in Kenya

2010-08-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

When Carl and I were in Kenya installing the first power system for Leparua primary school we had an opportunity to work with interns from two universities in Canada. One young gentlemen, Alex Reid, who was working with us had an idea to start a recycling program in the area. Before this program, all trash in the area was burned which was very dangerous and bad for the environment. Last week Carl and I got a email from him on the success of his project. Below is a excerpt...

"Thank you for the motivation to take the initiative and start this project, it ended up being very worthwhile.

So we started out by collecting a bunch of plastic bottles from the Safaricom marathon and then we acquired and tested out a compactor and made some bales for collection. A company from Nairobi called Greenloop International from Nairobi came and collected all of the bottles from the marathon. We then built a shed in the logistics workshop with the approval of Harry. Now the tourist lodges can bring all of their PET plastic bottles to the shed and they are compacted and stored until there is enough for Greenloop to come and collect."

This kind of youth interaction is a great benefit and surprise to me. It is amazing how many young adults Carl and I have been in contact with since we started this project. It is very gratifying working with them to understand how to get involved to try and make a difference. - John

We have Lights at Leparua School

2010-08-12T08:09:00.000-07:00

It is official. We now have lights and electrical outlets at Leparua primary school. It took a few months for money to be allocated and installers to be arranged by Lewa and the community. The good news is that phase one is now complete! The library has several energy efficient lights (some are shown in the picture above) and a few electrical outlets to support lantern charging and a few computers. When more money becomes available, they will pull electric to the head master's office and more outlets will be installed in the library. - John

1000 People @ $20 - Donation Campaign

2010-08-02T14:13:00.001-07:00

Thank you so much for all of your support. We have just launched our latest fund raising campaign "1000 people at $20" for our next project at Karimba Primary School in northern Kenya. Our goal is to be back in Kenya by December for the next power system installation. Since our last installation, we have made many modifications to improve the power system installation process, serviceability, and shipping. After each system we install, our knowledge and experience helps make the next project better and less expensive. Thanks to you, we will continue to make a difference. Please take the time to donate from either our blog or our website www.equals3.net. Your $20 can really make a long term difference.

John

Back Home and Busy at work

2010-06-24T18:09:00.001-07:00

We finally got settled in back home and have adjusted to the jet lag. Carl and I are busy working on some case modifications that will help us support warmer and dustier environments along with bring the long term cost of the security case down substantially. Next week, look for us to announce our new fund raising drive for Karimba school. We are looking to have 1000 people each give $20USD to allow us to return with another system in December. More details to follow, along with easier online donation options!

I have posted several additional pictures on the right side of the blog. Scroll down the page and enjoy the images that Emily, Carl and I took when we were in Kenya. - John

Driving to Leparua School

2010-06-12T06:48:00.001-07:00

The terrain to Leparua school is very difficult because if its remote location. It was a good test for us to see how well the power system could handle the rough roads and bouncing around. The concept that we can build a power system and get it delivered and installed in a remote location was what we wanted to experience and it worked great. - John

Carl the Biologist

2010-06-11T21:33:00.000-07:00

For the record, there are no Silverback Gorillas in Kenya!!!

Update from Leparua School

2010-06-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

I just received an Email from Faith at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy telling us about their progress at Leparua school. Carl and I will be donating additional rechargeable lanterns for the teachers at the school. They can now charge the lanterns during the day and have a light at home each evening. This is the first time power has been available in the area and it will help the school recruit better teachers along with helping the children have access to library lights and computers. It is good to be home. We just arrived last night and are trying to adjust to the time change!- John

This is the Email message from Faith:

Dear John,

I am not sure if you are home or still at the Mara…..

Please find attached photos of the three lanterns in Leparua. They head teacher received them and distributed to three teachers. Harry is planning to do wiring in the library and I am sure he will update you on that.

Alex, the Canadian volunteer promises to go the school in July after the marathon to teach computers and we will organize that. He will probably go in company of another volunteer.

We will keep you informed on the progress and usage of the solar unit.

With many thanks

Faith

Lion Cubs waiting for Mom

2010-06-08T05:05:00.000-07:00

Just one last wonderful photo from the Mara. The photos I have been posting have all been taken from my phone except for the sunrise image. Carl and Emily have shot thousands of photos with their Nikon equipment. They have some amazing images. We are planning to do an event in July or August to show everyone the images and talk about the projects we will be working on in Africa. We will let everyone know that date once we get back. Thanks again for all of the support. -John

Sent from John's Wireless BlackBerry

Mara Sunrise

2010-06-07T11:16:00.000-07:00

We were out for an early morning game drive in the Mara and I was fortunate enough to take this great photo. You can get a sense of how vast the open plains are and how peaceful it is. I do not think I have experienced a more visually appealing place than this. -John

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The Mara and Vast Open Space

2010-06-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

We had a great glimpse of three Cheetahs this morning. They were very animated and we followed them for a long while. The open space down in the Maasia Mara is hard to explain. The view goes on for miles and it is breathtaking. The opens plains go down through Tanzania and the Serengeti. The animals in this huge reserve have very little fear of humans and allow us to get very close. In Lewa, where the animals are encroached by people and face constant poaching issues from the east and north the animals are much more defensive and you need to keep your distance for your safety. It is very sad to see such a difference...
-John

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Our Next School Power Project in Kenya

2010-06-06T00:53:00.000-07:00

Carl and I met with the staff at Lewa and we have decided on the next school location for power. Karimba is located southwest of Lewa in a remote area where power is desperately needed. Our goal is to be back at Lewa December of this year for the installation. Of anyone feels excited about what we are doing, please feel free to donate online directly from our blog. Any amount is helpful and what we have learned through this blog and website is that many small donations is as powerful as any large one. Thank you for all the support. The emails to us have been amazing.

The photo above is of Karimba school. On the left is the library and on the right is a row of classrooms. As we have learned In Swahili...Asante Sana. - John

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Runway

2010-06-05T11:27:00.000-07:00

We made a quick stop on the way to the Mara to pickup a few people near Lake Naivasha. I thought everyone would appreciate the lack of runway. It required a few people to run up and down it to clear the zebra and antelope before we could land. - John

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We are off to the Mara

2010-06-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

We said goodbye to Lewa today and all of our goodfriends. We have two flights on small props to get us to the Maasai Mara for a few days of game drives before we head home.
Sent from John's Wireless BlackBerry

Elephants on the Move

2010-06-04T12:08:00.001-07:00

Today was an easier day. Carl and I had several meetings to plan for the next school and to review some design changes. We also did an interview with Lewa for their next magazine issue which will have a story about our project. We also found time for a game drive and had a chance to hang with some elephants. They are such an amazing creature in the wild. Tomorrow we fly to the Maasai Mara for a few days to survey a few schools and also relax. - John
Sent from John's Wireless BlackBerry

It was hard work on the roof

2010-06-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

Today we had Sean and Alex, two university students from Canada work on the roof wiring and securing the solar panels. It was really difficult because the roof is steep and is very slippery. We used ropes and ladders to make it more safe but it was still dangerous. They both did an amazing job. When everything was done, we were ready to fire up the power unit. We had a video camera and everyone was around for the moment. The camera was on and I turn over a bunch of switches, the unit made some noise, a few lights blinked....and nothing...it was dead!!!! All this was on video while I spent several minutes trying to figure out why we had no AC power. Finally...after we turned off the camera and everyone was depressed I figured it out...I forgot to turn on the main AC power switch! We all had a good laugh and everything worked great.
Sent from John's Wireless BlackBerry

John with the school children

2010-06-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

Just another fun photo with the children at Leparua school north of Lewa. -John

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Children at Leparua School

2010-06-03T09:16:00.000-07:00

The children are definitely excited about getting lights and computers and their school but truthfully they were much more interested in our camera and seeing themselves on the LCD screen!

Sent from John's Wireless BlackBerry

We have Power!!!!

2010-06-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

Today we finished installing the power system and securing the solar panels. Everything we purchase in town worked perfectly. I will post more pictures and details later. The photo is of the school head master with the power unit. His face lit up when we started running a large drill from the unit. He did not believe it was going to actually happen until he saw it with his eyes. The actual install of everything took about 8 hours. Not including all the drive time. The system can easily be installed in one day which was our goal! The problems we had with bolts will be easily fixed with the next system now that we can better explain what we need built to local metal workers. Today was a great day for Carl and myself. Thank you for all the support. I will post more photos later of all the children. Right now I need a few beers!!!!!
Sent from John's Wireless BlackBerry

Inside my Malaria Bed Net

2010-06-02T10:42:00.001-07:00

Just being my creative self. I thought this was a cool photo. I tried to upload videos today but was not able to get a good connection for my computer. When we get home, Carl and I will upload a bunch of clips.
-John

Sent from John's Wireless BlackBerry

An African Day

2010-06-02T05:27:00.001-07:00

Today was not as productive as we had hoped. Carl and I still need to adjust to the realities of getting things done in Kenya. We had hoped to pick up need supplies in a nearby town this morning and be working on installation at Laparua school in the afternoon but it did not happen. We ended up taking a large group of people to town that needed items and between traffic and locating things it took until 1:00pm before we were ready to head out to the school. We then need to pick up several tools from the logistics depot on the way out but everyone takes lunch between 1-2pm so we could not get what we needed until 2pm. Once we found someone to help us, we spent the next 1 1/2 hours trying to locate the following.

Drill
Bit
Extension cord
Hammer

So we are now planning a full day tomorrow at the school and hopefully we will have everything we need. We went to the town of Meru this morning to locate 25 - 1" long bolts and washers to fix a problem with the way the local welder had built the solar panel frame. It turns out that bolts are not readily available even at hardware stores. After several stores and many people pointing me to other places, I finally found a metal shop "Shanir Hyads Masterwork Foundry" on a side street off of an alley that I could barely fit through that had most of what I needed. I will now need to do a MacGyver style fix to bypass what we do not have.

While I was out running through town, it appears that Emily, Carl's daughter was very popular while waiting in the car. I think that she had several marriage proposals and it seems she is worth a lot of cows! - John

Waterfall surprise

2010-06-01T11:08:00.001-07:00

After our work day, our friend Harry who heads up logistics at LEWA took us, his family, and two Canadian interns up to a beautiful hidden waterfall to relax and swim. The area around LEWA is diverse. We spent all day working in desert like conditions and an hour later we are in the forest swimming.
John

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Transporting to Laparua

2010-06-01T09:31:00.001-07:00

Today was a long and difficult day. We took three trucks with equipment across some of the most difficult terain to Laparua school. The equipment made it safely which proves we can get the system to just about anywhere safely. Once there, we had some real challenges with mounting the roof panels. The mount kit we had paid to be built locally was not 100% correct so we are going to have to buy parts tomorrow to correct the issues. The tin roof is so slippery and weak that I had to use ropes to make sure I did not fall off or through. We laid down ladders on the roof to help strengthen our footing and we use ropes to tie everything together. It slowed down the pace and with the mounting problems set us back till tomorrow.

We did get a lot done today and we learned a lot about a better design panel design for the next school. I have not been so physical since before my knee surgery. Tomorrow morning will be interesting. Hopefully I will not need to wear a knee brace.
Thanks for all the great emails and support.
John

Sent from John's Wireless BlackBerry

Days End

2010-05-31T11:13:00.001-07:00

Today ended well. We got the system loaded on a truck and we leave tomorrow morning for the school. It turns out that tomorrow is a national holiday in Kenya so everyone here thought it would be the perfect day to start the installation. We were going through our checklist at the end of the day and we asked who would be at the school to unlock everything and no one know for sure if we will be able to get in. Since there is no cell reception in the area, we has to send word by foot. We are hopeful that it works. I guess we will know when we get there!
-John

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Unpacking the system

2010-05-31T02:58:00.001-07:00

We unpacked the system today and went through everything that was shipped. All arrived safe and in working order. We will be loading up all the equipment this afternoon and taking the long 4x4 trek to the school location in the morning.

Sent from John's Wireless BlackBerry

View from my room at LEWA

2010-05-30T01:48:00.001-07:00

Amazing. My room is on the edge of the swap where all the lions live. I have to keep my door locked! This is so cool!
Sent from John's Wireless BlackBerry

Our prop plane to LEWA

2010-05-30T00:07:00.000-07:00

We are loading up to fly to LEWA. As usual Carl had too many bags and weight! Emily and I were fine but Carl brought extra cameras and hats. We had to pay for an extra seat. I argued that I should get a discount because of how small I am compared to Carl but it did not translate well.

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Feeding time at the Elephant Orphanage

2010-05-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Jambo! This morning the Equals3 troop took a trip to the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage to see the baby elephants at feeding time. It was an awesome sight to see the calves playing in the mud, drinking out of massive baby bottles, and interacting with each other. Due to extreme poaching all across the country, these orphans were rescued by the foundation and raised with the intent of releasing them back into the wild when reaching maturation. For more information about the program, visit: http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/
-Emily Thelander

We just arrived

2010-05-28T14:49:00.000-07:00

We just cleared customs and are on our way to a local Nairobi hotel. We are meeting a few people tomorrow to go over some future logistics options. We then fly a prop plans to Lewa to start the power installation! Wish us luck!

Sent from John's Wireless BlackBerry

In London and getting ready for Kenya

2010-05-27T01:04:00.001-07:00

Last night we had dinner with our good friends from Kenya. Iain and Lou were up visiting their son. Iain's company Tropical-Ice has been really helpful in coordinating our travel plans when we are in Kenya. They have helped us with all kinds of logistics for this project. Iain also heads up a great poverty project in eastern Kenya outside of Tsavo. At some point we will help them with power but they have more basic survival issues to solve at this time. You can check out their website from our links page on www.Equals3.net. The link is called Timboni.
Sent from John's Wireless BlackBerry

The adventure begins

2010-05-24T15:21:00.001-07:00

We are on our way to London. The British Airways strike has caused some confusion and delays but all looks good now. See you in Kenya!

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Locally built solar panel mount kit being installed

2010-05-10T14:37:00.001-07:00

Part of our project goal is to use as much in country services and resources as possible. We contracted with a organiztion to build and install the solar panel mount kit ahead of our arrival. When we arrive on location, we should be able to rapidly install the solar panels which were also purchased within the country to help support the local economy.

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Short Video Clip of our P3 - Tembo

2010-05-03T17:27:00.000-07:00

This clip shows our largest power system called Tembo running in our assembly facility. This portable power plant runs our 2000 square foot space without the need for any on-grid power.

2010-05-02T18:44:00.001-07:00

This is our first mobile phone post. We can now keep everyone up to date with text (SMS) and pictures (MMS) via our phones in Africa!

We are on our way back to Kenya

2010-05-01T21:17:00.000-07:00

It has been a long journey for Carl and I. We are on our way to back to Kenya to install our first portable power system designed to run in a building powering lights, computers, and internet connections in a remote poverty area where power is not available. We should learn a lot about our design once we see how everything survived the shipping and transport. It is hard to believe that less than one year ago we came up with this idea and we are about to install the first system in Africa! I can not wait for year two. Wish us luck. John