The building material available locally in Malakal Area

What types of practices are relevant to the local and how to link it with the practices at the Vocational training center?

The building material available locally in Malakal Area

The Sand and Gravel

I want along the River Nile to see how the sand and gravel being processed, how is being pack and to see if the quality is accepted by the local builder and contractors. And how the availability of these materials can contribute in training process at the MVTC.

There are more than 20 point along the river where by the people use to get the sand out from the river, most of the workers in this business are women, and they are about 70% and the 30% are small boys their age range from 12 to 15 years old.

I interview a group of women they are collecting the sand from the river and dry it, then seal it out to the costumers; I asked them the following questions.

How do you investigate the area to get the sand?
We get into the river and start touching by our hand and feel it. the sand is usually mixed with clay and mud.
1- We wash it in the water for two times after that we put in container, and, the container should have many holes in the bottom to allow the fine sand grain passage down.
2- We wash it again until the sand became clear
3- We bring the sand and put it out in the sun until it dry
How many bags do you produce per day?
Individually, each can make 2 to 5 bags.
How do you transport it from the river side to where you are now?
The distance from the river to here is 50 meter some time we carry it top of our head, and some time we rent donkey to transport it to us. we pay 20 SDG for that.

How many are you in this business?
We are 20 women, our work as a group started 10 year ago.

What is the sealing price per bags? It is 12 SDG

Your bussinse is it profitable?

Yes
How do you organize the sealing?
When payer come to us we see if he need ten bags of sand we divide among our self each has to bring in half bags. So we usually seal equally among us.

What is your daily sealing? It depends on the market but the average per day is 5 bags, normally we seal direct to the builder. They use to come here to pay from us.

What is the different between the sand bought for North and this one?
Our sand is cheep and is more strong.

In the same place another women sealing food. I interview her. I asked her
How did she start the business?
She said “I am one of this group, we are collecting the sand form the river together, I see there is need among us for food. So I decided to cook for them the launch and seal it with a reasonable price".

Is it profitable?
Yes, at last I am getting money to support my family with the basic needs.
How much do you earn per day?
Its about 20 SDG.

From there I went to another group of young boys. They are three two of them are clean the sand while the other one is taking it form the river to the place where they put it to dry.

I asked the youngest one which is 12 year old.
What made you to start this business at these age?

He said I am students in 2nd year basic school, I work together with my elder brother 14 years old his in basic 6. The reason the teacher in the school need us to pay the school fees. We in addition we are approach Ex-mass we need to collect some money to pay the clothes.

These boys they don’t consider the quality of the sand, if it is clean or not. Their aim is to process and seal it out to get their daily need.

Building Site:

I want to a building site to enquire about the different from the sand that come from Kosti and the one from the river.

Jamal who is a builder they are constructing a public toilet to by use during the CPA cerebration in Malakal on the 9th January 2009.

What is the different between the sand from Kosti and the local sand?

Jamal said “the quality of the locally it has big grains, while the one from kosti has fine grains, we normally mix it with the one from kosti to obtain strong sand”. The different also is “during the plastering with the local one you obtain rough surface while with the imported one we obtain smooth surface.”

How much do you pay for both?

The one from Kosti we pay 15 to 17 SDG per a bag, while for the sand from the river we pay 12 SDG per a bag.

I visited another builder called Dak, and asked him
What is the different between the sand from Kosti and the local sand?
He said “the quality of local one it depends on the person processing it in the river, some use to wash it several times, in this case they produce the fine grains sand, while other wash it two or three times then, they obtain the rough grains sand”.

Which sand are you using at the moment?
He said “ I am using both sand, because normally I have to use the two in order to obtain the good work quality”
How much do you pay for both?
The one from Kosti we pay 15 to 17 SDG per a bag, while for the sand from the river we pay 12 SDG per a bag.

Local Market
Then I decided to visit the local market to interview them, and see if they are sealing the locally sand.

I meet one of the building material sellers beside the big mosque, in the main market of Malakal, Mr. Deng Job. I introduced my self to him and the purpose of my visit.

I asked him;
Are you get your supply for the sand locally or from some where else?
He said “ I am getting my supply from Kosti”
Then I asked him. Do you some times seal the local sand?
He said “the local sand we seal it on demand, some builder use to order it and we bring to them direct from the river”

What is the different between the both two sand? He answered “the local one it has good quality of grains. But some time it may contain a lot of clay/mud elements on it, and this because the local people some time they don’t wash it to be clean and remove the mud, so if they take care of it when they are washing it the could obtain good quality that will be marketable with a reasonable prices”

How much do you seal for both? He answered “The one from the river is relatively cheep compared with the one from kosti”

I see you have blocks around. Do you made them locally, or you pay it from somewhere and seal it?
He answered “I made it locally in this place. I bring somebody form kosti to train the labour locally. When the training finish. my workers start the production”

What is the daily average for your products? He said “It depends but normally it goes upto 300 per day”.

Which sand are you using for the blocks production?
He said “I am using the local sand. Because it has big grains, and these help to produce a good quality of block”.
What is the price for one block compared with the imported one? It has the same price that is 8 SDG per piece.


The Gravel:

The production of the gravel is in very small quantities, very poor quality. But if the local people put there attention on it, and search properly in the river it can be found somewhere.
Reflection:

The objective of my research, I was looking for answers for the following questions
What types of practices are relevant to the local and how to link it with the practices at the Vocational training center?
What are the available material locally?

What is the quality of these materials compared with the imported one?
How can the MVTC utilize these opportunities?

I want along the River Nile to see how the sand and gravel being processed, how is being pack and to see if the quality is accepted by the local builder and contractors. And how the availability of these materials can contribute in training process at the MVTC.

This interview show that, the building materials like sand, gravel and blocks can be obtained locally with a reasonable price, compared with, the building materials being imported form outside Upper Nile State. Even though the quality is poor but it can be improved. As one of the builder mentioned that. The quality of the sand depends on the process. If the processor clean it well, they can obtain a good quality relative the same like the one from Kosti.

But the local people who are engaged in this business. Some of them they are doing it for economic propose. May be if their economic situation improve by any reason they may not continue doing these work any more. Because of this also the production is very low. For example the young boys in the above page if they get the money for the school and the cloth they may not come again for the business, unless if they are in need again.

The women are having limited access to the sand in the river, the same to the young boys. They can not go deep into the river. Deep you go into the river more you get the clear sand.

I think, there should be in future a means for getting the sand for the river using the modern technology if the local people, the investors pay their attention in these work. To increase the production of sand and gravel.

Another good example I found is the building materials seller Mr. Deng, he sees the business opportunity on not only selling the sand only as a raw material. But transferring it into a useful product. By doing so he created employment and contribute for the availability of the building materials locally. He is a good example for other trader to follow him.

For me I see many opportunities for the local vocational training centre. But I prefer to put it inform of questions:
1- Those people practicing this trade, sand processing, can they be give a training that can help to make a good treatment for the sand, to remove the clay elements from the sand?
2- Is it possible for the Malakal Vocational Training Centre (MVTC) welding and machine shop department to produce wheelbarrow to help these people in transporting the sand from the river to where they dry it?
3- Is the MVTC ready to organize training program for short course in block making?
4- How can the VTC make the link between what is being practice out side with what they are doing?
As I mentioned in the beginning my questions have been answered. But more questions come out as mentioned in the last four questions.

The sand being transported to building site


This amonut of sand cost 30 SDG


she is packing the sand

Observation in the Welding section

The instructor in the welding section working with three students in the metal sheet bending machine, he shows them how to bend the sheet on the machine and allows them to continue working alone. The two students hold the sheet metal size of 2 meter long and 20 cm width, while the third student adjusting the machine. During the work one student take the lead start giving the other two students the instructions on how the work should be done.
On the other side of the workshop a group of five students talking to the instructor regarding their last practical saying they want the instructor to explain to them how they should complete their work.
A another group of students are cutting a square bar to be use as a window frame for the metal cabinet.
At 9:10 when the generator was operated, the students in the workshop start working and the work start moving, some students engaged in welding of sands for a house, and the other working with different work.

Malakal _ VTC basic section

Instructor at the basic section explaining to the students in side the workshop the new practical. This is the third practical for this group of the basic students

Dialogue with three instructors in basic section

Dialogue with three instructors in basic section.

The names Anticlockwise

- Abdel Azim the head of the section
- Omot _ Instructor
- Pyite _ instructor
- Daniel _researcher

First Year Students at Malakal Vocational Training Center

Students at the basic workshop

First Year Students at Malakal Vocational Training Center

The student at the mvtc started their basic training at the basic training workshop on the 1st of September 2008 for a period of 6 month. The number of the students is 74 students are divided into four groups each group consist of 16 students.

Group A & B are in the Fitting workshop. In this workshop they are trained to do the basic fitting (filling, drilling and riveting). They have to do work in the bench for a period of three month.

Within this period they learn the following

1- Basic safety
In the basic safety the student are taught to follow the safety procedure during the work and to develop safety practice in their daily working with the hand tools and machinery.

2- Hand tools:
The instructor teach the students by demonstrating to them the different types of hands tools and their use. Some examples of the hand tools are files, hammer, hacksaw …etc. this training is one to three days.

3- Practical
The students are given three practical within the period as following
1- Hexagonal shape
2- Engineering shape
3- Joining shape

Reflection on data collection in the field work at MTC Juba

The Multi Service Center (MTC) in Juba is one of the operational vocational training center in southern Sudan. The center has been established on 1976. Mr. Ohide is the director of the MTC during our meeting with him in his office he tell us about the different activities in the center. The center has been reinvented by the international labour organization ILO and after that all the activities are supported by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) beside the equipment donated.

JICA has played a big roll in creating the one year curriculum for the MTC with the collaboration Nakawa VTC in Uganda.

The MTC is running short courses training for one year in eight different trades companied into two big building, the workshop number one consist of four trades, metal sheet and fabrication, machine shop, Auto – machines, and refrigeration and air conditioning.
The workshop number 2 consist of four trades general electricity, plumping, building and construction, and carpentry.

We have been introduced by the deputy director for training programs to the head section of electricity department Mr. Taban.

After we inform Mr. Taban with our purpose for the visit, we asked him to allow us to attend the theory class.

The number of the students attended that lesson was 10 students out of 14 students. The instructor Mr. Joseph lauko was teaching the class planning of the electrical connection and materials cost estimate. During the lesson he has used many good illustrations to enable the students to understand what he was teaching them, he draw a room in the board and he show the right place to allocate the switch and the control panel.

The instructor was talking to the students the whole period of the lesson about 1 hour without giving the students a single chance to ask any question or to say what they know about the subject, during the lesson I make observation to the class and I found that three students in different corners of the class were sleeping, the two students whom I sited beside them were busy with writing another subject on their notes.

After the lesson the students went to the break and that was around 11:00 AM I used this chance to talk with the instructor about the lesson, I mentioned to him that the lesson was very will done and me personally I have understood what he was teaching in the class. Then I introduced my self to him and the purpose of our visit, and then he introduced himself to me.

I asked him Mr. Joseph how many students do you have in the electrical workshop, he said they were 20 students, 6 students leave the school for unknown reason, at the moment there are 14 students, four are absent, among the absentees 3 students are working and the other one takes his son to the hospital.

Then I asked him what was his intention for that lesson. He said he wanted the students to know how to calculate for the materials and be able to draw the plans for their work, to achieve this goal he present the lesson in the way that students can understand what is being taught to them that is why his using illustration form the surrounding to let the students imagine the real situation at the workplace.

Then he want on telling me that after he finish the O level (secondary school) he did one year course in the filed of general electricity in Nakaw VTC, Uganda.

I asked him to tell me what is the system of education that they have at the MTC, he tell me that the training period is divided into three terms, each term consist three month and half, Then in the second term the students go for industrial practice for a period of one month, according to him he feels that this period is not sufficient for the students to obtain good skills during the practice he think if the students are given three month for the industrial practice will be better.

I talk to group of students under the tree during the break, after I introduced my self to them they also tell me their names. Then I tell them that I want to learn from them they have to tell me what they have learned today. One of the students started talking this student is call Taban he told me that he learned how to setup a plan for his work, and he stated that without a proper plan I cant estimate the materials. Another one said “the instructor was over talking” then asked how do you want him to teach in the class, another one answered “he should give us a chance to express our self” then I said how. He want one saying “he should ask us if we understood the lesson or no”.

More to come in part 2 of this article

Development in South Sudan in my Own View

When I read the summary of the book “ The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Illand So Little Goodby William Easterly” I found that what he has described is really what happening in the ground with donor’s funds. It true that the successful investment is on Health care some time.
I would like to mention one of the most successful project in according to my own view. An NGO in Malakal Upper Nile State is running two projects one of this projects is to produce a clean water. They have established filtering stations along the river Nile, three water stations have been made so far, with a good quality and pure water.
Even though it is not possible to connect each house with a water pipe, the organization established water distribution points and the water is pumped from the river to the filters and from the filters via pipes to the different points in some areas around Malakal town in order to enable local people to have the access for the clean water this project works fine and at least three areas has around 12 water points.
The second project is making privet and public toilets in different areas around the town.
Due to these efforts I notice that during the outbreak of cholera this year a few number of people have been affected compared with the two last years. For the simple reason that a reasonable number of people have the access for clean water and toilets. But what I am not sure about is the sustainability of these projects because this NGO will soon or later leave.
Is this effort recognized by the local government? Where is the role of the local government and the local people? Who is going to take care of this water stations in term of fuels supplies to run the generators to pump the water from the river to the filters? Who will clean from time to time the public toilets? Who will carry on the maintenance for the water pumps, pipes and the toilets?

I think the government may take over the projects if it has the feeling (ownership) that such projects are for them and should be own and maintains by them. Or the local communities can take care of it if they really feel these projects are for them, then, the next question is how to let the local government and the local people have or develop the ownership?
Back to the question who will carry on the maintenance? I have been asking myself this question for the simple reason that there is no plumbing or water and sanitation section at the (Malakal Vocational Training Center) MVTC. This is the challenge for the vocational centers in Southern Sudan or maybe it is an opportunity who knows.

Form the development point of view it is important that people should have the access for clean water, good health care and education. If the donors want this projects to be sustainable, they have to work hard in the capacity building of the local people and they have to a sure there are skilled people who will carry and maintains the projects during and after the contract of the project is over.
From the above mentioned examples. In my local area such projects meets the need of the local communities and help the local government by allowing them to handle some others issues. But what I think is important it is not enough just for the government to sign the deals with donors only. The role of the government should be furthermore than that.
The local authorities should be asked for the plans that grantee the sustainability of such projects after the end of the donor’s contracts and the government have to work side by side with the NGOs or donors until the project is handled to them.

The local people need to be involved in such project this may be in form of labour or any form of involvement direct or indirect. From my experience I remember one of the project that a project for cleaning the town and opening the channels for the water. This project it works before and during the rain season it was run by one of the international NGO and partnership with youth local NGOs, in which the local people were involved to work by themselves to clean the town. This project was called food for work i.e. you work and at the end of the day you are given food items and it works fine many people were involved in this activity.
Conclusion
The government should be involved direct or indirect in the development projects that are funned by the donors, this will enable the government to contribute with the ideas on how they want this projects to be implanted and it will let the government follow up the projects in regular bases. When the project is over the government will be ready to take over the projects.

Local industries, companies and people should be trained and engaged the such projects, this will enable them to contribute effectively in the implementation of the projects and it will raise their leaving in creating job opportunities.

Daniel Ruben Oct 2008