L.W.M. is currently involved in teaching in local churches and discipling young Christians through the Basic Concepts Course. (free download here)
The long term plans are as follows:
• To supply a large sailing work boat for
transporting goods and people between Australia and the Islands, safely and
efficiently. Our ever present dilemma is that we desperately need a boat to
carry cargo. Whilst Guy was in Australia for visa reasons, the locals undertook
to restore a 25ft workboat that was virtually a wreck, and we had thought was
beyond repair, however under Sikkens instruction,
Magisubu has progressed well and she is close to being a usable vessel again
This will be very helpful for LWM and also for the community children because during heavy rains the Sewatupwa River floods and crocodiles, sawfish and sharks cross the bar, making it dangerous for children who have to cross the river to attend the primary school some 4 miles away in Kelologia. We still need to find a 35 to 40hp Diesel engine, for this boat.
In February 11 we managed to borrow a sinking 19ft banana boat and patch it up with epoxy glue, powered with an 8hp outboard, donated by AusAID, we have been able to access most of Sewetaitai Bay to transport people and occasionally to fish.
A larger cargo carrying sailing vessel, that can also be used as a training base for teaching sail training and seamanship whilst also carrying timber, materials and passengers is very much part of the vision that we are still praying for, the ECF grant will enable the construction of two small workboats, which is a great start.
• Install a micro hydro electric scheme to provide power to the local village and the base, primarily for the operation of power tools and lighting.
We were in touch with Faith In Action about setting up a hydro-power unit to supply electricity for Bwasa which would obviate the need for the Diesel generator, unfortunately the recession intervened in the US and action was not forthcoming so if any of you have a solution to this need we would be glad to hear of it. There is a lot of rhetoric on the media about climate change and the need for renewable energy; we are a perfect case in point for a demonstrable program where such investment here would tick all the boxes of donor charities in the environmental sector, so if any of you know of such or anyone else who would do this for us then please approach them on our behalf and speak to Cameron at our UK base.
A large waterfall at Imwauna could easily supply electricity for us and all the villages adjacent to our area. The water runs at a large volume about 400 feet above us and I think that a 5 or 6” pipe could easily be run down from this water into a turbine which could provide between 50 to 100 kW of electricity. The pipe would then continue into the local creek which would be scoured by the outflow and clean out the malarial mosquitoes that plague us from time to time. We will continue to pray.