1/12
Today we dropped off the coffee grounds at Mr. Santi’s pottery kiln and ordered 4 different types of samples. We expect them back in about a month.

I also checked on Noukham. She is having some trouble with the concrete mould. The clay is sticky and is sticking to the inside of the mould. She has tried charcoal but it didn’t work. I am going to make a new mould that will split into a few sections, so that it is easier to remove the formed filter from it.

3/12
Today I passed over the garbage bin filter to Elizabeth (the Khammu researcher). She is going to work out the best way for us to explain how it works to the Khammu villagers. She will also be looking at other ways to adapt it to the local conditions.

One of her field workers is heading to the rural areas on Saturday. I am passing over our DVD and also some laminated pictures to him and he will approach the villagers. He is canvassing them to see who is interested in returning with him to Vientiane to study pottery with Noukham.

4/12
Today I met with Dr. Rob Gray who works for Population Services International (PSI). They are experts in conducting surveys to determine the factors which are preventing behaviour change.

Their techniques have been developed over the last forty years and they have also borrowed market survey techniques from the marketing industry, one technique is called the Coca Cola technique. It looks like this technique will give us a good framework for our work with the villages.

I have a lot of reading and learning to do. At some stage this might even make a good blog post. I am also dropping off the pictures and DVD’s to the Khammu outreach worker this evening or in the morning.

8/12
I spent this afternoon at Doug’s working on:
the test rig to test the flow rate through the filters under different pressures. (This was the thorn in the side issue, but we are chipping away at it and the last version almost worked)

Preparing the next batch of clay (from the brick factory) for Noukham. When I last spoke to her she thought that the clay from the brick factory would be suitable for her use. This is promising and we are forming a second batch of filters this week. The first batch will be ready to fire either next weekend or later that week.

We finished off the 2nd version of the cement mould. This new one has the inner mould on the bottom and it can also spin. This is so that the filters can be hand formed around that mould. We shot some video so it should make more sense with a picture – later this week.

We welded up a big pounding stick so that it was easier to pound the brick clay. This clay dries rock hard and Noukham gave us feedback last week that it was very time consuming for her son to crush it in the mortar and pestle.

I just scheduled a teleconference with Gaston Schmits from www.aidscompetence.org – we will talk about facilitative methods of working with the local community. He is based in Chiang Mai and I met him last year after the meditation retreat.

DAP is coming along just printing it out now and going to drop it in by hand

MIT IDC are now on board

Meeting with a Dutch guy who is representing www.getitdone.org he is keen to get us some support from them

There is a another Dutch guy who is helping out with a funding application to the United Nations Development Program small grants fund

Our pilot village in Atthapeu was affected by the flooding

I am arranging for the new CARE Provincial Program Coordinator to come out to see the filters planned for the next fortnight

Submitted the AusAID proposal in partnership with Health Unlimited http://www.healthunlimited.org/Home

4-9 Tuesday: visited Doug’s compound to discuss the upcoming pot firing, and possible alterations to design. Doug also informed me about Rotary Vientiane.

5-9 Wednesday: visited Nou Kham and examined the last firing. The pot is slightly cracked and we discussed modifications for the next filter design and firing process. Nou Kham is taking even more initiative – freely suggesting changes or even new design alternatives.

6-9 Thursday: will meet with Somchanh today to prepare a list of questions for the video interview of Nou Kham we would like to film next week after the firing.

7-9 Friday: will visit the water test laboratory that is doing the confirmation testing. Also will return out to Doug’s compound with new dry coffee grounds and design an improvised thermocouple temperature sensor.

11-9 Tuesday: Public firing on Thursday (13-11). Looking to get newspaper and government officials involved. UN and International NGO’s possibly as well.

Have rigged up a temperature sensor for the firing. We’ll see how it works on Thursday.

New pictures on the website.

New blog posts from Vicki in Tanzania. She is looking for AW partner sites. Check out the website.

We are interviewing Nou Kham on Thursday. Please send us your questions for her. We will post the interview video once it is translated.

Sunny will be covering the public firing on Twitter.

Signing official document today/tomorrow (before Thursday) — NB. this is the document that will include AW. Previously I didn’t think it would be possible, now it looks like it might be.