In April & May 2019, a very enthusiast and assorted group of 4 welders and 8 drillers has been trained in Lundazi, Zambia. The 12 participants were selected in several steps from a pool of 45 candidates. After interviews and visits to workshops, we pre-selected 24 existing small scale entrepreneurs who all received a three day business training. In these small group trainings, Jacana had the opportunity to get to know them better, which gave us the chance to selected the 12 most serious and motivated people.
Training Drill Set Production
Welders
The welders received a three weeks training in the production of several drilling tools and rope pumps from trainers Henk Holtslag and Tanzaniaan James Mkataba with the assistance of future trainer Gideon Phiri from Zambia. Next to making drill equipment and pumps, the welders also learned pump installation on existing wells.
After the training each received a jig-set so each pump is made exactly the same and spare parts can be exchanged easily. Right after training each welder made 5 pumps in his own workshop. The curiosity of people passing by is great. Soon the welders will get a working pump on a borehole at their shop so customers can experience the product.
From left to right: Trainers: Gideon, James. Participants: Gibson, Joshua, Masiye, Sankhani
Drillers
Bester Drilling
The drillers received a three weeks training in borehole drilling methods (Mzuzu en SHIPO drilling) facilitated by our own Zambiaanse trainers Moses Banda and Hastings Mbewe who were supervised by the experienced trainer Laban Kaduma from Tanzania. Next to drilling the participants also learned pump installation and how to build ground water recharge and rainwater harvesting systems.
After the daily hour of theory where the Zambian teachers explained about geology, site selection, water quality and drilling and installation techniques, the participants spent the rest of the day practicing by doing. Also manager Bester was not afraid of the muddy and hard work. There is a hand dug well close to our Lundazi office, where training was executed. Water in this well is less than 2 meters deep. However when the trained teams drilled their first boreholes, instead of water the they found extreme hard quarts stone up to 5 meters deep. Our standard drilling equipment was put to the test and failed to break the rock. Thanks to creative ideas from the newly trained welders, the quarts layer could be broken and as a reward ground water came up under pressure to 3 meters. If you want to know more about the improvement of the equipment, request our free manuals at www.jacana.help/resources/water
Quarts stone, a worn drill bit and an improved drill bit
Representatives from the Ministry of Water (WARMA) came all the way from Lusaka (more than a day drive) to explain the legal procedures about borehole drilling and to officially welcome the newly trained drillers to the protected profession of qualified borehole drillers.
After training the teams started drilling at their own houses to get more experience before they will start drilling for paying customers. There is great interest and Jacana regularly receives questions from people from other districts about whether we can do this with them. But we have only just started in Lundazi and Chasefu: quality monitoring, creating a market for these new products and guiding the trained entrepreneurs in the practical management of their companies are starting now and it takes some time. All sorts of unexpected problems will come to the teams in the near future and Jacana will assist them so that they will ultimately become solid sustainable companies.
Lundazi drillers: Morgan, Ackson, Lyford, Phaniso, Nash, Brighton, Vinious, Biggie, Mabvuto
Trainers: Moses, Hastings, Laban, WARMA: Emanuel, Peter
Zambian trainers
Moses Banda, Hastings Mbewe and Gideon Phiri did very well and we are convinced that these Zambian trainers can facilitate an upcoming training. Thanks guys!