We are on working visit. Together with Rik we go to inspect the pumps who are installed by the trained entrepreneurs. We are friends from Rik and Dinie. We know them from Ghana where we both worked and lived. Since that time we visit them regularly in Africa.
Today the pump monitoring, this means that Rik thoroughly inspects and tests the pump. When the pump qualifies it gets a label, a real Jacana quality label. The label is attached to the pump by a pop rivet. On the label, Rik punches the phone number of the entrepreneur who has installed the pump. If something is wrong or if there are any questions then the farmer can approach the right person to repair the pump.
Some questions must also be answered. How deep have you drilled to find water? How did the drilling process proceed? Easy questions for the farmers.
How big is your land? This question is difficult to answer. They make a vague gesture: from that tree to that tree there far away and then to somewhere over there, again a vague gesture.
Rik carefully looks at the vaguely designated piece of land and enters something in his phone. Everything is stored in the phone that is connected to the Internet, so that the pump (provided with number) can be followed by anyone on www.jacana.help/mwater.
The highlight of the visit is when Rik shakes the farmer’s hand and asks the farmer to pump water and makes a picture of the farmer, shining of pride, with the water pumping pump
And this happens three times.Three shining farmers, three beautiful rope pumps and therefore three Jacana quality labels.