¡Hola a todos!
A lot happened the past weeks which influenced the project a lot. We would like to inform you about these events, and the current state of the project.
As you could see in the previous updates, we have worked together with the community of Esperanza for a while. The construction of the workshop went smoothly and the people who participated were enthusiastic! The project went in the right direction.
The generator of the project got stolen at the end of December. This generator is essential to be able to work since a number of important tools require electricity. We decided to stop the work until the generator would appear. In such a small community it is impossible to steal and transport a generator unnoticed. People were arrested but the generator itself did not appear.
Although we have the possibility to buy a new generator we don't think this is the right thing to do. Together with Juan, Max and Henky (Bambú Social board) we have decided to continue our research into natural treatment and connection methods in El Rama. Our supervisor Henky lives here and we can use his workshop.
Meanwhile, the construction team in Esperanza is working on the bamboo workshop with a borrowed generator. According to the current schedule, we are going back to Esperanza on January 18th to see the results.
Although the stolen generator was a major setback, the community continues to work on the construction of the bamboo workshop without our presence. Ultimately, the main goal is for communities to be able to work with bamboo independently. The research into the natural treatment and connection methods will be conducted in El Rama and still of great value to the people in Esperanza and the rest of Nicaragua.
For this research into natural treatment and connection methods we are currently working on a number of experiments. For example, we did tests on connections with leather and different types of rope and treatment methods with salt, chalk and heat. With these different treatment and connection methods we will eventually build a test installation. The installation will be exposed to the elements so we can see what the effects of these natural methods are next year.
Since the project takes a different direction than expected, we find it important to inform you about this. We will continue working in good spirits for the last three weeks!
¡Hasta la próxima!
Team Bambú Natural
