Back to Basics!

Digging grey water systems, building an animals´food-house, making furniture: all in a week´s work!

This week we have worked hard helping to advance the construction of the

Merazonia animal rescue project. Our main tasks have been centred around the animals´food-house (where fruit will be stored and prepared to feed to the birds,

monkeys and other animals that are eventually rescued and rehabilitated here). Whilst Rob helped Frank to dig a deep hole (no easy task in rock-filled ground with the sun beating down), I helped Jennifer to heave rocks up from the river with which to fill the hole. The purpose of this (grey water system) is to filter the water that is drained from the food-house (e.g. cleaning water) before it reaches the river, thereby avoiding pollution of what is currently pure clean spring water straight from the mountains. In addition to that, we worked with Ecuadorian employee Guido to mix concrete and make columns which will hold the food-house walls. When the rain started falling (it is a rainforest after all!) we headed to the toolshed and helped make additional furniture for the volunteers´living quarters. Phew!

In the evenings we took our turn at cooking... using candles and torches to see by, and thankfully a gas oven (which must have been hard work to transport there!) rather than a camp fire we managed to knock up some hearty food.

All in all, a good week´s work!