Ecuadorian Update!

Construction has begun!

Builders Beyond Borders team members digging trench and laying pipe - the first days of construction of the Tingo Pucara Water Project!

From February 17-28 Pitt Engineering students as well as Rob traveled to Tingo Pucara to host the first visit of the forty members of Builders Beyond Borders - one of the major project funding partners.

The Builders Beyond Borders Group (35 high school students and 5 adult advisors)

It was a great high altitude week as the engineering students took the lead on construction matters and got to take their designs from paper to reality.

From freezing mornings with pounding altitude-induced headaches to days filled with work digging trenches for our pipeline, until the nights around an indoor campfire to stay warm- it was a great time with the people of Tingo Pucara and Builders Beyond Borders. By the end of the week we had installed more than 1/2 Km. of the distribution system that the engineering students had designed.

On our last day we installed the first faucet at a home, ran water through our newly-laid pipeline, and had a faucet-opening ceremony. It was quite emotional seeing all of the hard work and sweat pay off in such a simple way - clear water coming out of a faucet (pictures on their way from Builders Beyond Borders!). The community members said a prayer and blessed the faucet. It was nothing short of a dream come true for them, and I have never seen them happier. When the whole group left on the last day at 3 AM, we were followed by some ever-grateful Ecuadorians on a motorcycle, honking and yelling, who followed us for the entire hour long trip until we reached the paved road.

Rob with one of his God-Sons, and his mother

George Beane, Peace Corps Volunteer and on-the-ground project coordinator with community members sporting the SWAG graciously given out by Builders Beyond Borders.

But the week wasn't only filled with work, as Andrew (a Pitt Engineering student who helped design the project) and myself (both members of the RUNFORTINGO Marathon team) got a little high-altitude training at 12, 600 feet one morning. Notice that Andrew is running with a stick and I have rocks in my hand. Suffice it to say that dogs are not friendly animals up in the Ecuadorian Sierra, and we were lucky to have escaped with our lives(unless Pitt lawyers are reading this, in which case the rocks and sticks are because Andrew and I stopped to play some stick-ball along the way).

More Pics and Posts to come- we are working on consolidating the mountains of pictures and videos we all took while in Tingo Pucara. But I hope this helps invigorate the fundraising efforts! We are running for a real cause - one with names and faces. And we are going to make this project a reality.

One last update: An artist friend of Rob's has agreed to hand-draw a design for the RUNFORTINGO t-shirts that all team-members will be sporting on race day! If you have any inspirational pictures of Tingo, Ecuador, the Inca, water, or anything else related - send it my way. RTG6@pitt.edu