The ASCE Georgia Section Nicaragua team had a successful, meaningful and BUSY trip to Kansas City, Nicaragua this May. We hope you enjoy this brief summary of the trip and are able to join us at the Annual Awards Dinner to hear more!

Bridge Construction
In April, Josh Orton traveled to Nicaragua on another trip to visit the site and collect any information needed for the bridge design. Once back, Josh coordinated the design and materials and reviewed critical construction concepts with our team. During the May trip, we were able to complete the entire substructure of the bridge. Due to sourcing issues from the drought, the remainder of the lumber for the superstructure was not yet available on site. The locals will be finishing the bridge construction the first week of July. We look forward to seeing pictures and will share them on the Section website and Facebook pages.

 

Drinking Well Contamination
Part of Peace & Hope and ROW’s mission is to provide clean drinking water to the communities along the river. We took advantage of having water engineers on our trip and visited a well in Anglo, a short boat ride down the river, where they are experiencing metals contamination. Presently, the well has been closed and the members of the community must travel to another well location to get their water. This is a major priority for the communities and our team is still working with Peace & Hope to determine a feasible treatment solution.

 

Site Drainage
Kansas City experiences severe flooding during the rainy seasons. A typical water level in some areas is 5 feet deep. The lack of drainage design renders much of their available farmland unusable for growing their main crops like cacao, plantains, rice and beans. Stu Moring relayed these issues from his trip and began coordination with Agriculture professors at the University of Georgia. While in Kansas City, we were able to investigate more of these issues and answer key questions through site visits and discussions with the local farmers.

School Supplies
Before the trip, we were contacted by Ben Mathes, founder of Rivers of the World, about sending schools supplies down with our trip. Thanks to Twin Rivers Middle School in Lawrenceville, we were able to sort and provide school supplies for 3 of the local schools on the river, one of which was in Kansas City. The children and teachers greatly appreciated the supplies and were already using them when we returned. The kids made a “Thank You” sign that we brought back to give to Twin Rivers.

Check Out Our Video:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3ddxi80xwsw71zf/bridge%20video%202.MOV?dl=0

Future Projects

  • Completion of the Kansas City bridge
  • Construction, stocking and staffing of a medical clinic in Kansas City
  • Treatment of the contaminated wells in Anglo
  • Future wells, bridges, etc. in other villages along the river
  • Ongoing adult education programs (run by trained leaders in the villages)
  • WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) program implementation. See more information from the CDC.

If you would like to donate to the work being done in Nicaragua, you may do so through the ROW website. Money is needed to finance the remainder of the bridge, the well treatment and many other projects for the communities!

Thanks,
Your Nicaragua Team