Barry Hart, Founder of Water Ambassadors of Canada was visiting with EDGE today. Always great to see Barry, hear about the great work they're doing and make plans for our cooperative efforts. WAC has been an EDGE partner for about two and a half years.

We've recently improved our training by combining our classroom area and the hands-on workshop space where students learn to assemble a two tank water treatment system. This training class of 18 was from Kentucky, Indiana, Kenya, Nicaragua, and Honduras.

EDGE OUTREACH has a rich history in St. Louis, MO. Spanning from 2002, youth teams from St. Louis began to invest in mission work throughout the city of Louisville. As a result of relationships developing, interests began to emerge about water. Opportunities to do water work in Haiti were initiated. Then, a powerful idea was brought to the table. To set up an EDGE outlet and water training center in St. Louis.

Today, there training opportunities in St. Louis and Louisville, a growing EDGE team of people investing to solve water problems and a wider forum of collaboration to further creative partnerships in water.

Without this expansion, EDGE's successful work in water disaster relief in Costa Rica, Haiti and Pakistan would not have had such success. This launched us toward leadership opportunities in health and hygiene and water with Military programs like Continuing Promise.

All of us at EDGE believe passionately in the power of relationships. We celebrate the strength of these communities coming together and drawing in more people throughout the United States and around the world to empower ordinary people to save lives by providing save, clean water.

sustainable clean water training

The day started like any other day, up at 0430, wash face, sprinkle on a dash of aftershave, get dressed, climb the stairs to the NGO Lounge to check and see if the internet is up. Nope, still down so it’s off to the mess for a cup of coffee while we wait to eat breakfast. All is the same except today we have a gray ship on our tail and it seems to be gaining. The closer she gets we can see the U. S. ensign flying on her mast and we can also see a big white ‘ONE’ on her brow. Checking we find that it’s a United States Naval Ship (USNS), a 
resupply ship out of Norfolk, VA coming to give us some goodies, goodies that we have been without for awhile or special goodies that will make us a lot happier, goodies like real honest to goodness ice cream. YEA!

Today is UnRep Day (Underway Replenishment) so this morning, flight quarters are set in preparation to begin the VertRep (Vertical Replenishment) portion of the scheduled UnRep. This is an operation that we have all seen on TV when watching an old Navy movie where two ships are side by side, huge waves splashing around while passing goods as well as fuel from one ship to the other. For me it takes thirty two years of Navy time plus fifteen years retired before I see and take part in an actual UnRep operation. It’s going to be an exciting yet busy day.

The USNS, a MSC (Military Sealift Command) supply ship picked up supplies; food, paper products, repair parts and other
items from Norfolk, VA and is delivering them to the COMFORT. In addition the USNS will take surveyed goods and excess cargo that is no longer needed from the COMFORT.

At dawn the USNS could be seen off our stern, steaming towards us to slowly come along side to begin the UnRep. An hour and a half later we begin the VertRep operation of cargo being moved from the COMFORT to the USNS. As pallets were set down on the USNS flight deck, fork lifts began scurrying around moving pallets of cargo from the flight deck into the inner portions of the ship. It was truly an orchestrated operation. Later in the day the helo would pick up cargo from the USNS and return it to the COMFORT and now our fork lifts scurried around on our flight deck in again an orchestrated operation. It must be orchestrated to ensure things are done in a timely manner, before the next helo drop arrives. This operation continued for hours.

A few minutes later, the first shot is heard as a pull line is shot from the COMFORT to the USNS to begin the transfer of cables for the fuel lines and also the pallet lines. In addition a line is tied from rail to rail which shows that we are about one hundred and eighty feet apart. Two ships one over 800 feet in length and the other 689 feet in length that close passing pallets of goods from one ship to the other while steaming at 11.9 knots. What a sight.

This operation continues well into the morning as we see Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 28 (NMCB 28) and the Marine Engineer Detail members assigned with the Bees, as the focal point of pallet moving once goods are placed on the deck, two at a time in most cases. We see a pallet jack and two Bees place the jack in position, lift the pallet and zoom, off they go towards the main doors to Supplies storage area. There the pallet is dropped while two others, a Bee and Marine pick up the pallet and zoom into the inner skin of the ship the pallet goes. It’s gone to a staging point while yet another pallet is zoomed to the entrance door. What an operation. On an average it took two minutes to transfer pallets from one ship to the other once the pallet was lifted until the cable lift was returned to the USNS.

This day we saw over seven hundred and fifty pallets of goods and equipment passed from the USNS to the COMFORT by line transfer. This entire operation was completed by early afternoon. The VertRep continued later into the day as we were able to use only one of our two helos due to the short distance from pad to pad.

As the ships Master, stated at the evenings Operations Brief, “It was a well orchestrated operation and could not have gone any better.” Every pallet that started from the USNS ended up on the COMFORTS deck.

IT WAS INDEED A GREAT JOB!

Ed Walter EDGE OUTREACH / CP11 Team Leader

We wrapped up today in El Salvador. We'll have 4 days liberty and pick up Joe Jacoby. We'll also have a vert-rep (vertical replenishment) with the Lewis & Clark as we head to Costa, everyone is looking forward to watching the events unfold. It's considered an "all hands" which means everyone will be working to move everything to its appropriate spots..similar to our working parties we had in Norfolk before we left.

El Salvador is a beautiful country. The people were kind and hard workers...The med sites were perfect...one was a big, round open arena and the last one was 200 yards from the beach, about and hour from the boat. No one had a complaint about that site. We basically worked in Acujutla and Izalco.

A ranking officer arrived today for a visit at the last site. A few of the kids who had learned to wash their hands taught the officer the hand washing procedure they'd learned. I felt it was more important they teach him.  We didn't do water at the last site as we we're only there 2 days. However, the school had a fantastic water system so I feel that water was probably not too bad. We did provide soap for everyone to use throughout the day. Finished off the last day with a knee deep ocean visit as we we were allowed to go to the beach for a few minutes before we left.

This is most likely the last post until we make land in Costa Rica. Hope all is well at home with everyone and we shall see you sooner than later. We officially only have 5 more Fridays until we are stateside. Kinda sad to think about.

Love and peace to all
Chana Gwynette CP11 Team / EDGE OUTREACH

Well, we are here. El Salvador that is. Pier side and already having issues with the girl (Comfort) being wiggly and squirmy. Beginning to look like we could have another Ecuador on our hands of popping lines left and right. Hopefully, not it's stressful on the crew who already work hard, its dangerous for the boat and just not a comfortable time in general for Comfort.

As for us humans, we only see the awesome added benefit of getting to walk off the boat to the bus and then to work. The boat rides to shore can get a wee bit taxing so, I am appreciative of being pier side. Our work sites have been described as close, near and really far. From what I understand, EDGE will be at the near site...however, I'll most likely go to every site to do H&H and then some added work with Preventive Medicine when EDGE has a full staff of volunteers to keep the work flowing. We're boat bound today, which is okay with me...it's once again as hot as an easy bake oven and we'll be working in it it for the next 11 days. So, I'm taking advantage of the air conditioning which is something I can't believe I'm saying. Typically, I avoid all fake air and enjoy the natural air we're given much more.

The last 3 days of transit were pretty uneventful, which we've all learned to appreciate. In the beginning, everyone was frantic to find ways to occupy themselves to the fullest of their capabilities in order to not have down time, however after the heat we've dealt with and the work, many have learned to just relax. I've even learned how to take naps and I never, ever thought that would happen in my life.

Tomorrow we begin work so, today I'm spending my last few hours doing some reading, writing, and relaxing until our first call at 5:30am.

Hope all is well at home, Ed and I will be sending updates. We're getting everything together for our shoe drive and I already have 4 pair from folks, Looking forward to this being a smashing success.

Love and peace to all from El Salvador.

Chana Gwynette, CP11 Team / EDGE OUTREACH

A team of teachers from East Oldham Middle School helped from K-12 students in two schools have a source of much needed drinking water.  Working in Port-au-Prince July 6-10, 2011 the team installed water purification in two government run schools; National School of Cezeau and National School of Damien.  Click here to see slideshow of their great work!