You may not know this about our fellow First Christian Church member David Buttgen, but he has been using his training as an engineer to help very poor fish farmers near the town of Zomba in southern Malawi increase the production of their ponds, and to lower the cost of pond imputs such as feed.
How has Dave been doing this? Through the Institute for Social and Economic Development (ISED) and Project Concern International (PCI), Dave has designed a wind-powered pond aerator that pumps oxygen into ponds to make them healthier for the fish being raised in them. This results in larger fish and shorter growth periods and fish that can be sold at local markets for more money, more often.
Dave has also designed a highly efficient fire box for grain drying. Typically, women in rural Malawi walk 5 to 10 miles to gather small bundles of fire wood in sufficient quantities to simply cook dinner for their families. Now, with Dave's innovation, the same small quantity of fuel can be used far more efficiently, to cook dinner, heat homes, and to dry grain that will be ground into fish food. The lives and livelihoods of very poor people will be dramatically improved through Dave's efforts.
Since the Buttgen Wind Turbine and the Buttgen Drying Oven have been posted on the Internet, plans for these innovations have been downloaded by people living in Africa, in Peru, Guatemala, Turkey, and myriad locations throughout North America.
We thank God for the talents and gifts He has given Dave, and for the example of Christ that has led Dave--and which leads all of us--to be of service.
No comments:
Post a Comment