APPLICATION TO LEAD DUKEENGAGE PROGRAM

APPLICATION TO LEAD DUKEENGAGE PROGRAM

IRRIGATION PROJECT IN BOLIVIA

Sponsoring Faculty Member: Dr. David Schaad

Community Partner: Engineers In Action

Program Location: Obrajes, Oruro Department, Bolivia

Projected Dates: May 16-July 14

Budget: $26025 (excluding the cost of airfare - see attached budget)

Number of Students: 6-8

Project Description

Obrajes is a small community in the region of La Paz, Bolivia that experiences very unstable rainfall during the Summer months. The short agricultural season limits the farmers from producing high crop yields, which is the main source of income for many of the villagers. This past summer, a group of Duke students from Engineers Without Borders traveled to the Obrajes village to look into how the community could address this problem. According to the community, the irrigation is needed before the rainy season begins in order to extend the length of the growing season. The village authorities met with the assessment team to explain the need for four specific well sites they had picked out that they felt would best address the community's water needs. The first plot of land is uncultivated land and has no current means of irrigation. The authorities explained the urgency of irrigating these “New Fields” because the community is running out of arable land and needs to get that land under plow. Without the land, young adults now have to leave Obrajes and take jobs in the city, making it harder and harder to keep the community intact. The other two plots would improve the current piecemeal system irrigation via water trucks, hand dug wells, and personal gasoline powered pumps that draw from a nearby river. The fourth site that the community recommended is on a ridge and it is not viable for us because the geological formation suggests lack of groundwater.

The Duke Engage Bolivia project will focus on implementing the first well described that would serve the undeveloped land because it mitigates the largest risk that Obrajes faces, which is a shortage of cultivatable land. This single well will have the capacity to irrigate thirty-nine hectares of land. Approximately 600 bags of produce (onions, potatoes, barley, and quinua) are harvested each season per one hectare of land, and each bag is sold for about Bs. 50 (~$6.50). Therefore, the extra thirty-nine hectares of land that can be harvested will be extremely valuable to the community. This focus on the first well was decided upon as the most realistic goal because it fits within the time of an eight-week project and is feasible given the amount of funding for engineering materials that can be obtained between now and the beginning of the summer.

The students who will work on this project will manage the construction of the well and the associated pump system. Students will coordinate the activities of the construction contractors, collect engineering data, price compare and purchase necessary materials, build consensus within the community, and help with some of the labor activities. Much of this work will require mastery of the Spanish language, so we plan on having at least four fluent Spanish speakers. Students who participate in the project will also have the opportunity to learn about the indigenous culture and traditions of the South American Andean people that are very different from life in the United States. Students will gain first-hand engineering/construction experience as well as an understanding of how conducting business in a developing country differs from business interactions in the United States.

Our primary community partner for this project is Engineers in Action (EIA), a non-profit organization based in La Paz and with an office in Tulsa, Oklahoma who has partnered with EWB-Duke since 2008. The organization, according to their website, “supports US engineering teams traveling to Bolivia from the moment they step off the plane. [Their] full-time staff provides the tools, housing, and logistical support to complete these crucial projects.” Engineers in Action can also offer on-the-ground engineering expertise and technical contacts within the area.

This project will create the ideal DukeEngage student experience for a number of reasons. Most importantly, the project idea was developed over the course of three weeks of discussions with Obrajes community leaders. This ensures maximum impact and helps to assure that the community will preform any required maintenance and upkeep once the project has been completed. Upon arriving in Obrajes, the students will enter a safe and welcoming environment. Duke students have been a presence in Obrajes every year since 2008; if this DukeEngage proposal were approved, the summer of 2011 would be the fourth consecutive summer that Duke has lived in this community. Significant goodwill has been created due to Duke’s partnership within the community for the creation of thirty meter reinforced concrete bridge as is shown in Fig.1 below.

Service Placement Sites

DukeEngage students will all engage in one single project together that is fulfilling the need for irrigation as expressed by the community of Obrajes. While students will not be placed exclusively with organizations involved with civic engagement, they will work closely with governmental and non-governmental organizations within Bolivia. Below is a list of the primary partners for this project:

1. Engineers In Action (EIA) is an organization that often partners with United States-based EWB chapters on irrigation projects similar to the project we wish to undertake. EIA can offer on-the-ground engineering expertise and technical contacts in the area. EIA's lead field engineer, Milton de la Cruz Rivera, maintains a strong relationship with the Obrajes community. He managed a previous EWB-Duke project for five months after our group left Bolivia during the summer of 2008. Engineers in Action has knowledge of how small communities in Bolivia can apply for funding for development projects, information that we shared with Obrajes' community leaders. They have hosted visiting EWB student groups in the past, and are enthusiastic about helping with both the logistical and technical aspects of the irrigation project.

2. PDA Soracachi, the local branch of the international NGO World Vision, has experience facilitating irrigation projects in the valley we will be working in. They are eager to work with Duke students, remarking that they had a long list of projects in the valley they wished we could collaborate on.

3. The students have also forged a working relationship with the Prefectura of Oruro, one of many governmental organizations responsible for allocating community funding. The Prefectura provided the students with the engineering studies of two previous irrigation projects. These studies contain the technical information needed prior to the start of construction, such as construction techniques, soil type, and water quality.

Enrichment Activities

The enrichment activities planned for this project include local and national field trips/excursions as well as cultural preparation before leaving for Bolivia. Holistically these excursions and activities will provide a diverse cultural experience that exposes students to the country, its indigenous culture, and its past and future prospects for growth and development.

Due to the nature of the trip needs, students’ Spanish will need to be at a conversational level as English is not widely spoken in Bolivia and not spoken at all in Obrajes/Oruro where students will spend most of their time. That being said, to further prepare students for cultural/linguistic understanding (vital to the team’s success), students who have already been to Bolivia and Obrajes will provide this knowledge and practice before arrival. Also, before departing we expect to invite two professors to discuss the political and cultural differences between the US and Bolivia.

During the first few days (up to a week) in Bolivia, students will acclimate to the high altitude in La Paz, the nation’s cultural capital and location of the arrival airport, and visit markets (ex. Witches and Black Market), museums (ex. Coca Museum), local cafes, and take day excursions to either Tiwanaku (an excavation site of ancient civilization) or Lake Titikaka depending on student interest. In the middle of the trip, students can take a five day excursion to Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat in the world and home to approximately 50-70% of the world’s lithium. Local excursions in Oruro/Obrajes, the location of the project site, will include museums (in particular the metallurgy museum), market (where locals shop for everything from Nike sneakers to llama sausages), tour of local irrigation system/dam in Challapata, and tour of a local silver mine. We also will leave additional excursions to the discretion of the students’ interests, although some of the most promising opportunities include a trip to Coroico where students can visit coca fields and learn about the associated agricultural practices, or Potosi, where a large portion of the world’s silver was mined from 1556 to 1783.

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Follow-up activities

When students return to Duke in the fall after their DukeEngage experience they will be responsible for preparing a “post-implementation” report which summarizes the trip and gives specific technical and community oriented details which will serve as a guide for future Engineers Without Borders projects. This information will be uploaded to the Duke-EWB wiki page (https://wiki.duke.edu/display/engineerswithoutborders/Home) as well as passed on to the EWB executive board in a project binder. Students will put together a PowerPoint presentation summarizing their work which they will present to students enrolled in CE 24. This or similar presentations will also be attended by members of the Pratt Dean’s office, including Dean Katsouleas, and other interested faculty. Students will also be required to act as ‘consultants’ for any follow-up EWB projects happening in the same community by offering guidance to new project members.

Supervision and Coordination

I, David Schaad, will act as the Program Director for this project and plan to be on site for at least four of the eight weeks. The on the ground coordinator will be Matt Ball, Pratt Class of 2010. Matt traveled to Bolivia in 2008 on an assessment trip for a bridge in the same community and is familiar with the logistics of having a student team on the ground in Bolivia.

Logistics

Students will depart the US on Monday, May 16th and arrive in La Paz on Tuesday, May 17th. Due to the elevation difference in La Paz, the team will spend approximately a week in La Paz conducting orientation activities and becoming acclimated to the altitude to prevent any potential occurrences of altitude sickness. La Paz and the project site are both located at approximately 4000m above sea level. During the orientation week, students will become acclimated to the culture, travel to the local market, and have group dinners and planning discussions at local eateries. Following this initiation period, the students will then move to the city of Oruro, and then to the valley region.

Students will initially live in Oruro at one of the local hotels for the next two weeks. Placement here will make it easier to coordinate with local companies who will be contracted for work on the irrigation project. Throughout the week students will travel frequently to Obrajes to negotiate with community leaders and to collect any necessary engineering data.

The last month of the trip will be spent in a rented 600 square foot four-room building in Obrajes which has been rented by our team for the past three summers. There is a faucet outside by the nearby separate bathroom building. Because of below freezing temperatures and the water tank pump turning off, tap water is sometimes unavailable. The house is already equipped with a 55 gallon drum and numerous 20 L plastic tanks to store reserve water in case potable water supplies are temporarily unavailable. Because the water from the tap is not treated for drinking, water will be boiled at least 15 minutes before use. Electricity is regular, and this powers lights in all of the building’s rooms as well as any student appliances. To cook and boil water, propane gas tanks can be purchased and filled in Oruro. The building is already equipped with cooking equipment, including two stoves, gas tanks, dishes, silverware, storage rack, pots, and dishwashing pans (see Fig. 3). Cooking will be a shared responsibility of the group participants as with other housekeeping duties. The bathroom is equipped with two flushing toilet stalls and an operable sink. Group members can take hot baths for a little more than a dollar at the Termas de Obrajes, a natural hot springs resort a mile walk away. Bottled water and hot meals are also available at that location. For sleeping, there are twenty mattresses that were purchased by our group over the past three years. The work site is about a twenty minute walk from these accommodations. A private driver can easily be hired to convey students to/from the work site each day if necessary.

Because Bolivia is located in the Southern Hemisphere, and because of the high altitude in the Altiplano, the site location weather is cold. During the day, temperatures reach 60 degrees but dip below freezing at nighttime, and there is no heating device in the house. It can also be quite windy during the dry season, causing drying of the skin. The high altitude also increases the intensity of sunlight and ultraviolet rays. The terrain is also quite rocky and rugged; boots are recommended. Students will be advised on appropriate clothing before the trip.

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Most necessities can be found in nearby Oruro which is where students will have stayed earlier in the trip. Students can access the Internet at several of the Internet cafes in Oruro as well as utilize ATMs and make long-distance phone calls easily and at a reasonable cost. Groceries, toiletries, construction materials, and most other goods can be purchased at the city market. Though the city is definitely walkable, taxis are readily available for hire to transport students around the city. Included in Attachment A is a detailed assessment of approximate costs and a budget for the DukeEngage experience. Below is the proposed eight week itinerary for this project:

Time (wks)

Location

Purpose

1

La Paz

altitude acclimatization, sight seeing, meetings with community partner, create additonal NGO relationships

2

Oruro

strengthen relationship with the community and PDA, negotiate contracts with local businesses for the project’s construction, purchase construction material, begin drilling, analyze drill reports

0.5

Potosi/Coroico

enrichment activity

1.5

Obrajes

install necessary piping, begin construction of pumphouse

1

Salar de Uyuni

enrichment activity

1.75

Obrajes

Construction of electrical lines, begin digging of irrigation trunk channel, Install alternative energy power sources (wind/solar)

0.25

La Paz

cultural activity, departure

Risk Management

Health and Safety Concerns

DukeEngage activities will take place in western Bolivia, which is dominated by the Andes and high plains, and hence largely insect-free. However, Coroico, to where a half-week enrichment trip may be made, is an area of Bolivia with malaria. As such, DukeEngage participants will carry antimalarial drugs with them to Bolivia, and take insect precautions, for example using an insect repellent or bed nets.

Other diseases that DukeEngage participants will vaccinate against include yellow fever, hepatitis A and B, and typhoid. Over-the-counter medicine for diarrhea will be included in the packing list as well. Another health risk is high altitude sickness, which alone poses a serious risk of illness, hospitalization, and even death, even for those in excellent health. DukeEngage applicants with conditions such as sickle cell anemia, heart disease, and lung disease will be strongly cautioned. At the same time, the initial acclimatization week in La Paz will allow problems of dealing with high altitude to surface early, so that DukeEngage participants can receive high quality healthcare while still in the city. With regards to safety concerns, the standard risks of being on a work site apply. Actions that we anticipate include drilling, digging, and installing alternative energy sources. The presence of on-the-ground coordinators (Matt Ball, engineers from EIA and PDA) will help to oversee the safety aspects of the work site. At the same time, first aid kits will be easily available, and DukeEngage participants will have undergone prior training safety training as well as training in first aid.

Availability of Quality Healthcare

While pharmacies are located throughout Bolivia and prescription and over-the-counter medications are widely available, medical facilities are generally not adequate to handle serious medical conditions. Medical care in large cities is adequate for most purposes but of varying quality, and ambulance services are limited to non-existent. For urgent medical needs, patients will have to be medically evacuated to other countries. As such, the proposed schedule for this DukeEngage project has tried to maximize the time DukeEngage participants will spend in the cities of La Paz and Oruro, where quality healthcare are more readily available than in Obrajes.

Crime and Violence

The U.S. Department of State currently classifies Bolivia as a medium to high crime threat country. Street crime, such as pick pocketing and assaults following ATM withdrawals, occurs with some frequency in Bolivia, especially in a larger city like La Paz. Express kidnappings are also common. As such, DukeEngage participants will be strongly advised never to travel alone or be out late at night. Transportation via long-distance buses will also take place during the daytime instead of at night.

Terrorism

There are no known terrorist groups that function in Bolivia or that pose a threat to DukeEngage participants.

Political Climate/Stability

While the political climate in Bolivia has been stable under the government of President Evo Morales, some U.S. citizens have reported harassment by Bolivian officials and been subjected to unwanted media attention. This could be a result of President Morales’ accusation that the U.S. military has been infiltrating Bolivia with operatives disguised as “students and tourists”. As such, DukeEngage participants should be politically sensitive, and be aware of the possibility of unwanted attention from pro-governmental groups and Bolivian officials.

Quality and Safety of Location/Accomodations

None of the areas in Bolivia included in the DukeEngage program is facing civil unrest; accommodations will be safe and of a decent quality, especially in areas like Coroico and Salar de Uyuni, which have long been catering to tourists.

Local Transportation Issues

Roads will be relatively safer during the time of year for DukeEngage, since it is during the rainy season (November through March) that travel is difficult. The proposed DukeEngage program will rely on public transportation and hired vans, which have the experience of catering to the general needs of the Bolivian public safely.

Availability of Visas

Barring unforeseen circumstances, and with full availability of the required papers, visa applications should be approved by the immigration authorities in Bolivia if they are sent in at least six weeks prior to departure.

Compliance with Local Laws

Illegal bars exist in Bolivia, and students may be detained for questioning if caught at a clandestine establishment, especially if drugs are found at the location.

Penalties for possessing, using, or trafficking in illegal drugs in Bolivia are particularly severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines.

Students should also check before taking photographs of the local population.

Fig. 3. (right) Sleeping arrangements at the rented house in Obrajes; (left) Sampling of the stove, dishes, and wash materials that already exist in the rented house.

Fig. 1. Vehicular bridge in Obrajes, Bolivia. Designed by EWB-Duke. Material purchasing and construction supervision by EWB-Duke with assistance from Engineers in Action. Volunteer labor from the community of Obrajes, local businesses, and EWB-Duke. Bridge completed in December 2009.

Fig. 2. (top left) Fresh vegetables at the market in Oruro; (bottom left) Cacti on Inkawasi Island, Salar De Uyuni, Uyuni Salt Flats; (right) ‘El Tio’ (the Uncle), the patron saint of mining at Cerro Rico (Rich Hill), Potosi.