These past two days have been heavily focused on determining a reliable method for spawn production. The first day we purchased more buckets, groundnuts, sorghum, and flour. We tried multiple combinations of substrates to grow our spawn. The groundnuts pasteurized well and easily dried. We directly inoculated the nuts in a bucket. The next day […]

We began the day with sourcing more materials in the market for spawn generation (which has seemingly become very usual for us). We picked up more rice sacks, rice, and buckets. We then got to the site and checked on our existing spawn bags which we determined about 25lbs were contaminated mainly due to excessive […]

As described previously we have been having significant issues with out spawn procedure. Sorghum is expensive and the local sawdust is antifungal so both of our spawn methodologies cannot be used here. We have been trying rice spawn but we have ran into problems with rice being too wet, contaminated, or bug infested. Now that […]

Our team has not been able to make significant process on a daily basis due to the ongoing demonstrations and strikes. Although we have not experienced anything firsthand, we have heard about a deadly conflict in Freetown. Due to national curfews and internal cautions from our professors, we have been staying within the hotel for […]

Elections in Sierra Leone are approaching and Makeni is home to the largest oppositional population. Because of this, demonstrations were planned to take place in the market today and we were advised not to travel near the clock tower. We began the morning discussing some larger questions that we can ask Khanjan later today to […]

The team was allowed to eat breakfast and basically operate as usual with masks on in enclosed spaces. We strained, dried, and bagged 23.5lbs of wet rice and brought it to the GRO house. While there, we weighed all of our spawn to determine what production capabilities we will have in the coming week. We […]

In the morning, David was too ill to get a start on the day so Muz and Will went out to work. They went to the market and bought black bags, rice, cups, and other items needed for more spawn expansion. They then went to the World Hope office and met David who was able […]

The team began that day with purchasing the remaining zinc sheets and traveling to the site to check in on Sheku and his men. They had finished the paneling on the roof and would now be able to do the sides of the house. Sheku gave us a few more items he would need to […]

Khanjan and other teams traveled to Freetown with two of our vehicles this morning to expand on their projects and pick up our missing luggage. This left us with Swallu to drive 4 teams to their desired locations. We waited to be picked up at 9am and left to gather Jawara and visit Sheku. Sheku […]

We began our third day by heading to the World Hope Office with the other teams, then, afterdropping them off, drove with Swallu to the Clock Tower to pick up Jawara. Together, weheaded to Sheikhu’s workshop to check in with him about the tentative construction deal wehad made the day before and ask when he […]