Miles is in the process of making bricks for his family’s home, as well as needing to make bricks for the many buildings we’ll be using in future projects.
Back in February, Miles traveled to Uganda and brought back a brick/block-making machine to Minembwe, something that, at least as far as we know, has never before been used in Minembwe.
The day the brickmaker arrived in Minembwe
Deciding which style of brickmaking is superior
New to brickmaking, Miles began experimenting with different mixes of soil, sand, cement, and moisture, as well as the best way to cure the bricks/blocks. Less than a week later, Lisa and I left Minembwe to head to Wenatchee, WA, for my prostate surgery.
On the way to Wenatchee, Lisa and I stopped in Los Angeles for a few days to see my mom, sister, and others. While dining at a restaurant owned by Brian, a school friend of mine from grades K through 12, Brian sat down with us and asked about what we were doing in Minembwe. Talking about our need to make good quality bricks, Brian said he would put us in touch with his niece who works for the chemical company BASF, whose motto is “We create chemistry.” Brian’s niece then hooked us up with a BASF scientist who knew dirt (mining/tunneling), who then pulled in another BASF scientist/chemical engineer into the mix who knows bricks. Four days after my surgery, these guys are on the phone with us providing all sorts of information, guidance, and inspiration, which we immediately relayed back to Miles in Minembwe so he could continue to experiment with the composition of his bricks.
Miles’ first building was his shop, which will store the drying bricks and wood he will need to make their house, his tools, and our motorcycle that has been stored nightly in our living room since December. Once the house is built, the shop will also become a place where Miles can train others.
Inspired by the fact that our “team” is not just limited to those of us here in Minembwe, and that it is far bigger than we can probably imagine—we have a proposal! If anyone reading these blogs has anything to share with us regarding what you see us doing, or what we’re attempting to do, please contact us at LaOlamAfrica@gmail.com. Our new team motto… “He creates chemistry.”
Somehow!
Michael