Recommendations
THE FOLLOWING "RECOMMENDATIONS" AND "RECOMMENDATIONS AND
SUGGESTIONS" WERE TAKEN FROM THE REPORT ON THE WINDMILL CONSTRUCTION IN-SERVICE
TRAINING HELD IN ASUNCION, PARAGUAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1983, TO FEBRUARY 25, 1983, BY
WILLIS ESCHENBACH.
In generally, this was a very successful and productive training
program. There was great interest from the Paraguayans at all levels. The
training was shown three times on local television. A local architect came to
nearly all of the training sessions, including the construction sessions, out of
his desire to be able to build a windmill on some land that he had in the
country. More people were interested in taking the training than we had room
for.
In addition, there was excellent support from SENASA, the
National Environmental Sanitation Service. SENASA is the technical arm of the
Ministro de Salud, The Ministry of Health. SENASA is the Paraguayan agency which
is responsible for providing clean water to the isolated villages in the
countryside. SENASA gave us the use of their shop in the nearby town of San
Lorenzo for the construction phase of the training, and lent us their tools.
UNICEF has given SENASA two well drilling rigs, which SENASA has
been using to install wells for small communities. Many of these communities,
however, have no electricity; so SENASA has been installing hand pumps in these
wells. While this is better than walking, perhaps a few miles, to get water out
of a dirty creek, SENASA and the local people are interested in windmills to
avoid the work involved.
UNICEF was interested enough in the training to pay 3/4 of the
expenses of five of the participants.
The Servicio Forestal, the Forestry Service, is where all of the
local trees have been cut down. To further this work, they maintain in
partnership with the Peace Corps, nurseries to grow the trees they need. Their
interest in windmills comes form the need to water their tress in. the existing
nurseries and to expand the areas of the country in which they can install
nurseries.
Also, the people of the town where we installed the windmill
were a great help. They assisted us in the installation of the windmill,
bringing stones and helping lift the tower. They also gave the final dressing to
the wind pump for the inauguration, planting sod around the base, hanging flags,
and putting potted flowers around the base.
Finally, there was marvelous support from Peace Corps Paraguay.
The training was coordinated by Pedro Souza, the Program Manager of the Health
Program. He and Joe Kyle, Coordinator for the Health Program, gave freely of
their time, energy, and local expertise, especially during the week previous to
the training.
SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
1. As difficult as it is, considering cultural and political
influences, participating nationals should somehow be screened for their real
interest in the technology and its development, and for their work habits. These
programs cost time and money, and the interested people should not be hindered
or distracted by non-interested, non-active students. Give their places to
someone who will benefit.
2. It is important to involve local users of the windpump in the
workshop. People from the community were involved, but only in the erecting and'
installation of the mill. It would have been better to have at least one person
from the community (in addition to their local SENASA agent, who did attend) go
to all of the sessions.
3. A process is needed for selecting local people who would
benefit from the IST and most of these procedures should be instituted.
4. It might be possible to encourage participation by either
limiting participation to 10-12 people or by taking on a larger task (building
two mills).
5. The largest difficulty with this IST concerned the
installation site. The selection of this site involved political considerations,
as did selection of the nationals who participated, as well as the colors each
windmill should be painted. For example, two sites in a politically favored area
were provided to choose between - neither of these sites were ideal. One of the
sites was marginal and the other was poor given the considerations listed in
this manual.
Probably what we should have done at that point was to say,
"Sorry, neither of these sites will do." Instead, what we said was, "Well, as
long as you understand that this is a marginal site and the wind system may not
work here, we'll put it in." They said "Yes," they understood, and we went on
from there. The situation was complicated by the fact that we told them that it
would require a 1-3/4 inch pump to go to the depth of that well (165 feet). They
said they had one that they would install, but when push came to shove all they
had was a 2-inch pump, too large for that depth.
The outcome was that the mill worked; however, not as well as it
should have. It worked and people were happy with it, but it is definitely a
marginal installation.
First impressions count for a lot. Introduction of a ''new"
technology - even if it is a proven system - can fail if the first steps are
weak. In this case the steps have been strong enough, but marginally so. For
success in the future the minimum standards for the site should be:
a. That it provide for a basic need of an interested community.
b. That it be a very good wind site.
c. That the site be easily accessible by people from out of the
area - high visibility.
6. Tables in the manual could be arranged in a simpler form.
SCHEDULE OF PARAGUAY WINDMILL CONSTRUCTION
TRAINING
2/14/83 - 2/25/83
Since 1961 when the Peace Corps was created, more than 80,000
U.S. citizens have served as Volunteers in developing countries, living and
working among the people of the Third World as colleagues and co-workers. Today
6000 PCVs are involved in programs designed to help strengthen local capacity to
address such fundamental concerns as food production, water supply, energy
development, nutrition and health education and reforestation.
