It has been nearly 2 years since we left Columbus and headed to Eldoret. Thankfully due to the hard work of many men
and women the 100,000 sq. ft. Cancer and Chronic Care Center (CDM) is really
beginning to take shape. The efforts in
all regards are beginning to be seen.
At this time, we have a roof on the building and in the
beginning of July we look forward to the commencement of the solar
installation. Over 1600 solar panels
generating 250 watts apiece will be on the roofs of the Ampath
Center and the CDM Building Referral Hospital
We have also recently
completed the construction of a 350,000 litre (nearly 100,000 gal.) underground
rainwater storage tank
That’s Peter, our foreman standing in the tank…….and yes, it
is very big. This tank will
supply the water for flushing of toilets and urinals and
also landscaping. Water and sewerage are
very expensive in Kenya
and we are looking forward to reducing those operating costs by 35% with this
tank.
Our team is focused on buying as much material as possible
made in Kenya . This has proved challenging on many
fronts….and also sometimes more costly than if we were to buy imports. But appreciating that facilitating the job
market here is critical we choose to spend a bit more and buy “Made in Kenya ”. This includes all of our floor tile products,
doors, ceiling products and to the greatest extent possible lighting. All of our cement products are also made in Kenya . To this day I continue to be marvel that
plaster and
stone are less expensive than metal studs and drywall!
Wasting materials is also not an option. Sand and gravel are expensive here….sand
particularly as it has to be transported from significant distance and up out
of the Great Rift Valley . Fred Ngunga, one of the workers is bringing
sand and cement residue for reuse after
it has been cleaned from the floors during the stone setting and plastering
phases of work…….and that wheelbarrow has seen many, many a mile!
We are utilizing a goodly amount of terrazzo on the floors
and countertops….again, it is a surprise that these products are less expensive
than many we are used to. The
fundamental reason things are so much less expensive here is that the costs of
building is almost directly inversed from back home. At home labor usually makes up between 70 and
80 percent of costs, whereas here that is the cost of material and labor is
only 20 to 30 percent of the cost.
The building has excellent colors both inside and out. The inside colors are beginning to
With walls and ceilings being light blue and light
green…..not polka dotted as you might guess from looking at this……These guys
love to touch up. At the top of the
picture you can see a cable tray that we have incorporated into the
design. This tray carries the water,
data and power cabling to allow for maximum flexibility. The walls only go up 7.5’ and from there to
the ceiling there is either glass or grills….maximizes ventilation and reduces
the need for artificial lighting. TB remains a concern here so ventilation is
key.
The outside of the building is a mix of natural stone,
concrete and plaster beams and blue window frames and tinted glass. It will be quite inviting upon completion.
The last remaining major construction hurdle is the casting
of the bunkers for radiation oncology.
During the course of the project we opted to go from constructing two
bunkers that would suffice for cobalt units to one “universal” bunker that will
handle more powerful Linac units in the future.
What that all translates to in construction is thickness of walls and
ceilings due to the greater amount of radiation that can be emitted by a Linac
unit. Our walls and roofs will be 1.6
meters (nearly 2 yards) thick reinforced concrete……that is quite a chunk of
concrete, particularly given that there will be no ready mix machine any where
in sight. We are preparing for this work carefully as
there are significant challenges from mix design, aggregate temperatures, placement
of concrete and heat buildup within the concrete as it is setting. We have a good team from South Africa assisting with
this…Osmond Lange and Associates.
Cancer is an expensive, expensive disease to treat…..and
success is not always guaranteed. The 3
major pieces of equipment that will go into the radiation oncology wing, namely
an ADR/HDR unit, a cobalt radiotherapy unit and a CT Simulator have a price tag
of $3.8 million. That is simply
stunning…..and those costs are just the beginning as it takes a legion of
highly trained specialists to operate these units. I have become acutely aware of how our modern
lifestyles and choices have a direct link to cancer. Below is a report by the United Nations that
is worth having a look at:
And as we consider how we treat our lawns and gardens have a
read of the following:
The opportunities we have been afforded as a result of
working on this project have made the time away very worthwhile. Living apart from the family the past 2.5
months has not been great but thankfully Liz is at home takin’ care of things….and
for that I am very grateful. Thanks to
all the friends and family who have received her and Liam so graciously.
It is not all work….we have had great fun along the
way. Liam and I had an opportunity to climb Mt. Kenya in a
fundraising event that netted over $10,000 for the facility. We joined a great group of Kenyans and a
couple of Canadians to make that climb…..16,500 ft and thankfully I had my
cheerleader Liam along with me. We also
had a great topping out event for the building where we all signed the back of
the last pieces of roofing steel and also heard about the Luo tradtion of
building from my colleague, Engr. Odhiambo Atogo. Prior to placing the thatch on a roof in a
Luo home, a pole is raised in the center of the home which goes beyond the
thatch roof line. This pole has
significance…… If the man dies the top
of the pole is cut off and the woman can now take a new husband……the attached
link is quite interesting. Simplifies
community relationships, that is for sure.
The generosity of friends, family, the church and businesses
have also provided opportunities to assist at the Kitale Children's Home,
various other children's homes nearby, and homes of people in very challenging circumstances
and at Imani Workshops. Asante sana !
Chinese Embassy:
http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/sgxx/lxwm/
Articles on Ivory:
Our contract ends in less than a year now….kind of hard to
believe….so……if you have an interest in stoppin’ by for a bit let us know
sooner rather than later.
