Integrated Community Development International drills new wells every year in central Africa in an attempt to provide clean drinking water to hundreds of thousands in an area.
For a handful of wells each year, a regular hand pump doesn’t work because the water is too deep.
That’s where a group, mostly of DePuy engineers, worked to find a solution.
Using a hand pump that is no longer produced as a template and spending hours of time after work, the group is ready to install the pump in a location in the Central African Republic.
The project started more than a year ago. Abe Wright, who serves on the ICDI board of directors, is a senior project engineer at DePuy.
“They drill about 100 wells every year,” said Wright of ICDI, “For a handful of wells, the water can’t be lifted.”
There used to be a pump on the market but according to Ted Rondeau, chief development officer for ICDI, such a pump doesn’t provide a lot of profitability for the company that produces it.
So it was discontinued.
The DePuy team, with help from egineers in Ohio and Kansas, collaborated to create the pump.
More than 220 man hours were used to develop the pump.
DePuy’s Mark Fisher headed up the team that dealt with the pump’s handle.
Fisher said he’s already looking forward to the next pump they build so they could incorporate improvements.
Wright said a challenge was designing for African terrain.
“We have to rely on folks from ICDI for information,” said Wright.
“This pump is going to the Central African Republic,” said Rondeau. “It’s part of the poorest part of Africa. Access to safe drinking water is non-exsistent. There’s plenty of surface water but it’s contaminated.”
Rondeau said the pump that the DePuy team built will provide safe drinking water to hundreds of thousands of people including many children who have never known what its like to have clean drinking water.
Mark Heldreth, who works in product development and research for DePuy, will be part of the team that is headed to Africa Aug. 21. The group will be there until Sept. 2 and all but three days will be devoted to installing the pump.
DePuy’s Jack Bryant, who also worked on the project, said there was plenty of motivation to spend hours and hours of his own time.
“Thinking of those kids taking their first clean drink of water was all I needed to be involved,” said Bryant.
Wright said he hoped what his team did would inspire other local engineers to work on similar projects.
The cost of the project, simply in terms of materials was $3,000. But Wright notes that number doesn’t factor in man hours, donations and out-of-pocket money from people involved.
Rich Arthur from Exact Machine in Subury, Ohio, donated all his time to produce the pump.
The pump was successfully tested in Kansas recently before its voyage to Africa.
Rondeau said part of ICDI’s mission is not only about bringing things like clean drinking water to parts of Africa but to create sustainability for projects.
ICDI teams work with locals to teach them how to maintain and repair equipment.
Rondeau, who has made dozens of trips to Africa, said the group can expect a hero’s welcome.
“When they see our trucks pull in they’ll know something is going on,” said Rondeau.
Rondeau said a town leader will serve as a sort of ambassador to the team and the team will be greeted by lots of handshakes, hugs, singing and dancing.
Embarking on the trip is Heldreth’s son, James, 17, will also be making the trip.
It will be the first trip to Africa for both.
A video is on YouTube talking about the project’s test in Kansas is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V39cR6IuUUw
The following are other project members: Chuck Christie (DePuy) Chadd Clary (DePuy) Tom Wogoman (DePuy) Mark Fisher (DePuy) Steve Bonner (DePuy) Bryan Rose (DePuy) Travis Bennett (DePuy) Dan Rumple (DePuy) Terri Bong (DePuy) Bruce Kelso (Hutchinson, KS) Greg Bixler (Ohio State University) Jorge Villares (Batelle in Columbus, OH) Dave Chase ((Batelle in Columbus, OH) Steve Peacock (HCJB in Elkhart, IN)
