Introduction​

This was our fourth visit to Abundancia over the last seven years. While lots of progress has occurred there was still plenty of work to be done. On this last trip we were unable to take any students.

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Main Project- Pioneer Beds

 

    The main purpose of this trip was to teach the Nivacle how to make pioneer beds. The purpose of the beds was to get people off the ground so they are less likely to be exposed to Chagas disease. In 2013, we built 3 prototype beds to see which design lasted the best.  For the past 2 years we have tried to design better easier to build beds. We also researched easier methods for making rope. Upon arrival we inspected the three prototype that had been left there in 2013.

     Surprisingly, we found the bed made from garbage bags in the best condition followed by the braided bailing twine. The feedbag bed had long been destroyed and cannibalized. However the bed with garbage bags was considered infeasible for large scale production. We did how ever improve on the braided twine method.  We developed a process of using a drill and four workers to turn nine stands of twine into a very firm rope. We taught a group of workers how to make the rope and they spent a couple of days just making ropes. A second group was taught how to build the bed frames. and the third was tasked to weave the rope onto the bed. To our delight one of the workers said he used to be a fisherman so he showed us a better way of  attaching the rope to the bed. By the end of the week 7 full beds were completed and another 3 were near completion.

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