A 6 month placement improving the sustainability and reliability of family-centred water supply in the remote parts of Maputaland, South Africa. This involves the continuation of work by previous EWB-UK volunteers to monitor, evaluate, and where necessary improve on the design of rope and washer pumps used in conjunction with shallow wells.

What work will I be doing?

Work will focus on supporting the "Christian Broadcasting Network project" which involves the installation of rope pumps at local homes in Maputaland. The work will include:

• Assistance with the management and supervision of the drilling teams who carry out the work
• Assistance with material sourcing
• Development of new proposals and expansion of the project
• Possible work on a rope pump upgrade project (if further funding is granted)

Additional Work on other PiD projects may include:

• Work on developing and testing prototypes for PID's Pit Latrine emptying project which has already received funding
• Assistance with a PiD project to improve the efficiency of, and reduce the water loss from a mid-scale piped water scheme in the local area
• The volunteer will have some freedom to become in other areas of PiD’s work in which they are interested.

Who will I be working for?

‘Partners in Development’ is a small private Engineering Consultancy based in South Africa, specialising in rural development. The organisation’s mission is to enable developing communities to construct, operate and maintain civil and agricultural infrastructure in order to achieve a sustainable improvement in their quality of life.

The primary beneficiaries are subsistence farmers living in the remote north eastern part of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, known as Maputaland. The company was founded in 1993 and has two offices in KwaZulu-Natal. There will be three permanent staff in the office in which the volunteer is based, and a supervising engineer will visit from the main office once per fortnight.

The company has run placements with eleven other students at various levels of commitment and challenge since 1995, so is no stranger to working with young volunteers. For more information http://www.pid.co.za/

What skills or experience do I need?

Required:

• Practically minded person
• University graduate
• Good organisation and time management skills
• Driving license

Desired:

• Fluency in English
• Experience of Water Engineering Practice
• Experience of off-road driving in sand
• Experience producing / interpreting engineering working drawings