All I think we could all say about today was wow. The reason, we went 350m underground into a copper wine. What an experience. The tunnels were only slightly wider than the large trucks that travel underground to bring out the rock and ore. Where this plant is very similar to those in Australia is that the waste product is used to fill in the tunnels once the ore is extracted. This results in a much safer and stable mine site, and reduced need of space above ground. TI was also interesting to see how they ensure there is enough oxygen underground, and how the miners work in such a hot, dark and cramped environment. It is also worth noting, that the copper at this stage is only 3-4% of the ore, so there is a lot of work after extraction before the ore becomes copper as we know it.
After an exhausting morning down the mine, we all travel back to Kitwe where we split, with Greg visiting a farm, Jodie a company clinic and Fran, Ryan and I visiting the Ipusukio Community School.
The school is a community school that has 3 taverns on its boundaries, all with music so loud that the speakers are distorting. The school itself is made up of eight class rooms for over 1,200 students. The entire plot is only about 500m2. Four rooms are brick, (one with a door caving in, the second with the roof propped up with wooden poles) the others are wooden and are similar to 18th century country barns in Australia, dirt floors, huge gaps, and using maize sacks to stop the wind. How the students and staff can study in these conditions is amazing, yet the students of the school have over a 90% success rate at passing the year 8 entrance examinations. The Rotary club is involved in building a new school about 1.5kms away, to get away from the noise and poor learning conditions. A worthwhile project.
The evening we spend with members of both clubs with a quiet get together, we then all get home at about 11.30pm.
After an exhausting morning down the mine, we all travel back to Kitwe where we split, with Greg visiting a farm, Jodie a company clinic and Fran, Ryan and I visiting the Ipusukio Community School.
The school is a community school that has 3 taverns on its boundaries, all with music so loud that the speakers are distorting. The school itself is made up of eight class rooms for over 1,200 students. The entire plot is only about 500m2. Four rooms are brick, (one with a door caving in, the second with the roof propped up with wooden poles) the others are wooden and are similar to 18th century country barns in Australia, dirt floors, huge gaps, and using maize sacks to stop the wind. How the students and staff can study in these conditions is amazing, yet the students of the school have over a 90% success rate at passing the year 8 entrance examinations. The Rotary club is involved in building a new school about 1.5kms away, to get away from the noise and poor learning conditions. A worthwhile project.
The evening we spend with members of both clubs with a quiet get together, we then all get home at about 11.30pm.
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