I returned to Canberra on Friday 26^th March for an extended stay to coincide with the birth of my sister’s son, to raise funds and to participate in development of the organisation. I was happy to see that the work in Vientianne has continued thanks to Doug Handisides and Nom Chan. Tom Schwabble has arrived in Vientianne to bring his considerable talents to our project.

In Canberra the Ripple Effect fund-raiser has been a great success and will help launch the next phase – the training of potters from 8 remote villages so they can take the technology back to their villages. While in Canberra I have been introducing our project to many new people, many of whom are becoming supporters. We have also gained extensive media coverage so check out “media” and download and share the articles.

While in Canberra I have shared the clay-pot water filter technology with indigenous potters at the Yurauna Centre, CIT Reid. Janet Fieldhouse, the resident potter has embraced the clay-pot water filter with both hands and is incorporating the technology in her curriculum. Janet and her students are assisting with resolving technical details for the extrusion of the cylindrical filter. The Yurauna Centre’s enthusiasm for the project reflects interest in the CPWF expressed by other indigenous communities elsewhere.

I have been busily following leads of interest in the business community in Canberra. There are good prospects for getting businesses on-board and a number of volunteers have offered to promote a program enabling businesses to sponsor the implementation of the CPWF in a village. Schools have also expressed an interest in the program and we hope to have a volunteer team following up these expressions of interest.

All in all, it has been a busy but satisfying time. It is exciting to spend time with a growing band of volunteers and to feed off their enthusiasm and dedication. If you have been touched by the Abundant Water project or the Ripple Effect please get in touch and tell me about it. I look forward to hearing from you.

The Ripple Effect fund-raiser (Saturday 3rd July) was a great success. We set ourselves an ambitious target to raise sufficient funds to implement the clay-pot water filter program in 8 Lao villages. We have so far raised $8000.00 (AUD). Donations are still trickling in and we encourage all who wish to assist us in achieving our target to spread the word.

The event itself was great fun. Many newcomers to the project commented on the energy, youth and enthusiasm evident at the event. We wish to express our appreciation to the many people who made the event possible. Thanks to C3 Church for kindly making their church available. Thanks to Bill Quinn for conducting the charity auction and his masterly compering of the event. Thanks to Rafe Morris, the Stevenson Experience and Sanj and Hashemoto for their excellent entertainment. Thanks also to Arien and Damien for providing and managing the sound system.

Special mention must be made of all donors who made auction items available on the day: Waves Car Wash, Braddon; Cycle City, Lyneham; Fekertes Restaurant, Dickson; Two Sisters Restaurant, Dickson; Dickson Asian noodle House, Dickson; Eckersleys, Braddon; Smiths Alternative Bookstore, Canberra City; The Framing Store, Braddon; Adventure Trekking Equipment, Braddon; Debacle, Braddon; Purple Pickle Cafe, ANU; Tossalinis Ristorante, Civic; Officeworks, Braddon; Shi Hairdressing, Kingston; Kokoloco Dance Studio; Street Theatre, ANU; Canberra Impro; The Co-op Food Shop, ANU; Lerida Estate Wines; Phoenix Clinic, Turner; Lime Leaves Restaurant, Queanbeyan; Asian Book Room, Macquarie; Sarah Matchett; Eucale Stanes, nutritionist; Melody Kemp, photo-journalist; First Choice Liquor, Braddon; Jenny Wong, graphic designer; Nou Kham, AW pioneer potter; Erawan Bed and Breakfast; Canberra Raiders Rugby League Club; Civic Newsagents; Michelle Slezak, felt artist; The Front Cafe, Lyneham; and Snowgum, Braddon. We are indebted to the generosity of all these donors and ask supporters of the AW project to in turn support these businesses.

We wish also to mention our profound gratitude to the many businesses that provided in-kind support and help make the occasion amply catered for. Our thanks go to the Griffith Butchery; Greenwares; Plastic Creations; Supabarn, Canbera City; Cornucopia Bakery, Braddon; Mr Cheese; Blueys Cafe, Dickson; Wagonga Coffee; Country Valley Milk; Oconnor IGA; Lyneham IGA; Canberra Raiders Rugby league Club; C3 Church Belconnen; the Co-op Food Shop; University of Canberra, Faculty of Arts and Design; and nflame Creative.

The event was made possible by the dedication of a highly motivated team who did it in style and good humour. Many thanks to Babs, Anita, Jenny, Julian, Brendan, Sunny, Sarah, Susan, David, Eucale, Adam, Faith, Michael, Casuarina and Stuart. For small organisations like Abundant Water, raising funds to sustain ‘good work’ can become a real chore and it was gratifying to witness the success of on-line donations. The Ripple Effect not only successfully raised funds but helped raise our profile and introduce the project to many new participants. So stay tuned and we will keep you posted on our next event.

Hi guys here is the latest video update.

Click on the Title to see the video.

Happy New Year everyone!

Every now and again we are asked if volunteers can come and assist us here on the ground in Laos. I look forward to the day when I can say YES. We are working to have our training center up, running, and able to host volunteers but it will be a while before this is complete.

In the meanwhile I would like to recommend the Vang Vieng Organic Farm as a great place to stay and volunteer for a while. I have been there dozens of times and have really enjoyed working on their mudbrick house building projects. Anyone who enjoys cooking might be glad to hear that they have just completed the kitchen of Peter’s mud house. It now has an earth PIZZA OVEN!. The video above was taken a few years ago when they were first making the bulk of the mudbricks.

For details of the farm or mudbrick house building projects please follow these links:

http://www.laofarm.org/

http://earthbricker.wordpress.com/

Take care