Global Envision article

Below is a RainCatcher story, Water for everyone, that appeared on globalenvision.org, an initiative of Mercy Corps.

SUCCESS STORIES

Water for everyone

Posted on Global Envision: April 03, 2007

How one individual’s simple discovery, the refreshing taste of pure rainwater, is providing solutions in the developing world.

In Africa, simple solutions are helping provide much needed water. Photo Credit: Jack Rose, Raincatcher.org

In observance of UN World Water Day on March 22, I talked with an individual who has made accessible drinking water and water conservation his life’s work. Jack Rose, the “RainCatcher” has been helping catch rainwater for use in African villages since 2004.

The rainwater experiment began in Kauai in the late 1990′s. Rose, a native of Southern California, was inspired during an El Niño winter that dumped constant rain on the island. That’s where Jack first began drinking rainwater and, a couple years later, the rainy coastline of Mendocino, California became the “laboratory, from which the RainCatcher projects in Africa were born.”

Since that fated time, Mr. Rose has made it a habit to collect and drink rainwater in his everyday life. He invokes the image of a crazed scientist, drinking from a stainless steel cup as the rain falls. He applied this passion for rainwater collection to his career, where he designs homes in Southern California. Inspired by simple, cost-effective design ideals, Jack began drafting and modeling rainwater collection tanks for home use and landscaping.

Imagine the image of a crazed scientist, drinking from a stainless steel cup as the rain falls.In 2004, Mr. Rose was invited to accompany a project called “Water for Children Africa” to Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa. He saw the dire need for drinking water across the areas he visited and found simple solutions could create extraordinary gains. He used his experience collecting rainwater at home to set up a rudimentary system in the villages that he visited using RainCatcher tents and natural drainage areas. “Maji Ni Maisha”, a Swahili expression for “Water is Life” came to encapsulate Jack’s experience in Africa and reflect the dire importance of water access in many African villages.

A Raincatcher tank being delivered to Bosiango High School. Photo Credit: Jack Rose

As the RainCatcher vision formed, Jack Rose began a partnership with Kenyan Fred Mango and a company called Kentainers, which produces water storage tanks for distribution in Africa. They are now installing their containers at schools across Kenya.

The schools provide an excellent location for the water tanks. They are generally at the center of villages and represent a source of pride for many villagers. Teachers, students and parents are the administrators of the water system once it is installed and are responsible for the security and maintenance of the container and distribution of the water. A complete system consists of a water tank, rain gutters, and a filter. Each system can be installed in one day and one truckload, carrying five tanks, can provide rain collection systems for five schools.

Jack Rose and Fred Mango, from Kentainers, Inc and director of Raincatcher Africa. Photo Credit: Jack Rose

For Jack Rose, the RainCatcher methodology is a simple solution to one of the world’s most urgent problems: “there are many problems in the world that seem unsolvable … this isn’t one of them.” The materials necessary to install five villages with rainwater collection systems cost approximately $4500, including filters. The filters used are made by the Swiss Company Katadyn and cost around $250 each. The filters are an added expense; rainwater does not require filtration, but it can filter out contaminants collected from dust or rooftop surfaces. Additionally, if filters are installed in the rainwater collection devices, the system can also provide a source of clean water during the dry season. After the collected rainfall has been consumed, water from traditional sources like nearby streams and creeks can be filtered through the tank and cleaned for human consumption.

“There are many problems in the world that seem unsolvable … this isn’t one of them.”It is the RainCatcher’s hope that the next generation across the globe will embrace the earth’s natural abundance of water and use it more efficiently to eradicate the water problems of today. The biggest obstacle to this task is awareness. The plight of over one billion people without access to clean water doesn’t receive the attention that is urgently needed to address the situation. Despite efforts by the United Nations and World Water Day activities, the frustration of unequal water distribution remains the fundamental concern for the developing world. In this struggle, Jack Rose describes himself as the world’s waiter, declaring:

“We are told that we should drink 8 glasses of water a day. Whenever you go to a restaurant, or sit down for a meal, there is a glass of water brought to the table. At humanity’s table, however, each day we are 8 billion glasses short, I am simply a waiter carrying as many glasses as I can.”

Fred Mango, Jack's African counterpart in the Raincatcher Africa Project, demonstrates how to use the filters. Photo Credit: Jack Rose, Raincatcher.org

An example of the tanks that are donated by Raincatcher Africa to each school, they can hold up to 6000 liters of rainwater for human consumption. Photo Credit: Jack Rose, Raincatcher.org

Individuals like Jack Rose are the catalysts of change. He is planning several projects which will help continue his work in Africa and raise awareness about the possibilities of rain collection in both developing and developed countries. One such project is “Water for Everyone,” a film documentary which will tell theRainCatcher story and convey the power of simple solutions globally. You can read more about RainCatcher projects at RainCatcher.org.

Contributed by Lindsay Benson, Project Intern at Global Envision. Lindsay has a MA in International Political Economy from American University and her research focus is in global food policy.

Bosiango

RainCatcher — Kenya: Harvesting natural rainwater to quench the world’s thirst.

Subject: Help us Have Clean and Safe Water

Moses Nyagaka Okioga, Fred Mango, and David Nyabuto Ogachi in Kenya

On Nov 11, 2006, at 12:15 AM, David Nyabuto Ogachi wrote:

Dear sir/madam,
My community in Bosiango is suffering. Many people in this community suffer from water borne diseases, particularly women and children. After carrying the needs assessment I came up with the idea of starting a project of piped , clean, and safe water. Please could you assist?
Yours Sincerely,
David N Ogachi.

Hi David,
Where is Bosiango? Are you near Nairobi? I helped install rainwater water storage tanks at some of the primary schools in the Mua hills. The tanks were from Kentainers in Nairobi. Do you have buildings that would be suitable for catching rain?
My site is raincatcher.org
yours in friendship,
Jack Rose

On Nov 17, 2006, at 2:33 AM, David Nyabuto Ogachi wrote:

Dear sir,
I do not live near Nairobi, I live in Western Kenya, right on the floor of the Great Rift Valley where water is like gold — the driest area. I became interested in this issue of water because of the situation in which my community finds itself. Rivers in this area are seasonal, full during the rainy season, only to go dry as the rains recede (like the present condition in East Africa today). Every one is affected yes, but women and children are worst hit. Children who go to school do so without doing proper washing — you know the consequence of this. The less water which is available is brown with mud and dirt, therefore quite unsafe for both drink and general use. PLEASE HELP. Yes we have houses that have roofs capable of harvesting a large volume of water yet the people lack the financial capacity to purchase the tanks. We need tanks in schools that number almost 10 and other social gathering points.

Hi David,
We can get tanks from Kampala or Arusha. Which city are you closest too? I’ve included some maps. Can you show your location? You can also email photos if you have a digital camera. I have a filter that you can put the dirtiest river water through and get clean drinking water. It’s called a slow-sand filter and you can read about it by going to raincatcher.org and reading the RainCatcher Peru article. There you can click on the link for Blue Future Filters – bluefuturefilters.com – and find out about this amazing system. It is the highest rated by the UN and W.H.O. Also a good filter can be found at Katadyn.com

Two sources of water — the rain and the river. With tanks set up on school buildings, we collect and store fresh water when it rains. When the supply runs out over long periods of no rain, you can put river water through the filter and get clean water to drink. I can work on fund raising here if you can organize people on your end to help set these up. Is there an NGO established in or around your area that we can work with? Let me know. The goal will be to have systems in place before the arrival of the next rainy season. Can you tell me when the next rainy season begins?
Yours in friendship,
Jack Rose

Dear sir,
Thank you so much for your e-mail.
I live in the southern part of province 6 at the border with province 4 I think the closest city might be Kampala. Electricity is so bad today – it is on and off – my cyber cafes are almost off. Please reply soon.
Yours in friendship,
David N.Ogachi

Dear Sir,
Because of power problems I was forgetting another important thing. As a matter of fact I already have people on the ground who are working to install water system in the schools and social gathering centers I mentioned, however the cost of doing this is skyrocketing. We have an NGO in our area called Dano agency which I think would help. The next rain season is just beginning. I hope to hear from you soon.
Yours in friendship,
David N.Ogachi.

Hi David,
Can you please give me an email contact with someone from Dano?
Or have them contact me. Any photos will be helpful,
Yours in friendship,
Jack Rose

Email to Kentainers in Nairobi

Water Storage Tanks – fredmango@kentainers.com

KENYA
Kentainers Limited
Embakasi Road, Off Airport North Road
P.O Box 42168,GPO Nairobi, Kenya.
Tel: (254)-(20) 823513-5,823442-4
(Hotline) (254)-(20)-6750993,6750984
Fax: 823927,331502

Hi All,
A couple years ago I helped install water storage tanks at schools in the Mua Hills above Nairobi. I worked with a group from California called ‘Water For Children – Africa’. The tanks were supplied by Kentainers. See photos. I am contacting your company now in regards to an upcoming project in Bosiango. Below is the email correspondence that describes what David and I are attempting to do. Can you give me prices for water storage tanks delivered to Bosiango? How long a drive is it from Nairobi to Bosiango? Would it be better to ship from Crestanks in Kampala? I plan to work with an NGO in your region. Do you have a recommendation? Any information and images will be helpful,
Thanks,
Jack Rose

On Nov 20, 2006, at 9:32 AM, fredmango@kentainers.com wrote:
You will be responded to within 12hours . Thank you once again for your Interest and Concern about our products and services. Regards, System Administrator

Hi Fred,
Here’s a copy of the latest email exchange with Moses & David in Bosiango.
Thanks,
Jack

On Nov 21, 2006, at 4:43 AM, Moses Nyagaka wrote:

Dear sir, I am MOSES NYAGAKA OKIOGA , I am a writer. Some of my works are on sale through Amazon.com – just log to site and ask for RELEGATED TO THE WILD. I am 46 years old Kenyan, a father of three. What i am proud of is that I am a friend to people. I am always eager to help — I am told JACK ROSE has got the same trait in his personality…We have an NGO here, D.A.N.O Agencies, which helps people who have WATER problem. David N.Ogachi told me to contact you. At the moment we are making an effort to assist people, few of them to put up containers to catch the on going rain — but we lack funds. Regrettably we have never thought wise to photograph whatever we are doing, sorry, therefore we will dispatch someone to Nairobi to buy a digital camera. No one is selling the thing here. Thank you for offering the containers they will make a big difference. To assist install some of these tanks we have here I humbly request you to send some funds (if they are available) so that these friends of ours would benefit. Should you find yourself in a position of doing it Please use either MONEYGRAM or WESTERN MONEY Transfer cashed in KISII KENYA
Yours sincerely, Moses Nyagaka Okioga.

Hi Moses,
Thanks for writing. I have an email into Kentainers. When I hear back I will get a contact person for you to meet with when you go to Nairobi. You can pick out the water tanks that are right for your use. Have pictures taken of you with the tanks and have Kentainers email them to me. Also I need images of you and David and others with the houses, schools and other buildings that will be getting tanks. You need to take some measurements and let me know how many rain gutters you will need. I will have Kentainers deliver the gutters with the tanks and put the name RainCatcher on all the tanks. After they are set up I will need you to email photos of you and friends standing with the new water tanks. Then I will come to take more pictures and to visit other sites that need RainCatchers. The idea is to use each project to help create the next project, causing a chain-reaction until everyone has clean water to drink. This, of course could never happen without responsible people doing all the ground work on your end.

Thank you for helping. If you get to Kentainers soon, ask for Fred Mango. He is the one who emailed me. You will need to tell him exactly how many tanks and gutters you need so he can set up a business structure with me to get this all going. We will all work together to bring clean water to your families. The rain is freely given in such abundance. All we have to do is receive it. I look forward to doing that with you and David and your whole community.

I am a writer, too. When I come to Kenya we can trade stories.
Until then we will catch rain.
Yours in friendship.
Jack Rose

Hi Fred,
Below is a copy of an email from Moses and my reply

On Nov 22, 2006, at 2:36 AM, Moses Nyagaka wrote:
Hi, jack,
Thank you for writing. We would like to travel to Nairobi on Friday, please get the contact whom we are going to meet. I have made the measurements of the rain gutters and I have come up with the following: 10 schools – 2,400ft; 2 churches – 360ft; 8 families – 480 feet. You may be aware (because you have been to Kenya) that the type of soil we have here is hostile to plastics. Therefore the concrete base could be needed. My organization has run out of funds. It is good to have our pictures but due the fact that we do not have a digital camera we will send them once we buy it from Nairobi. Yes I am responsible, in fact I must be, because of the past experiences.
Yours in friendship,
Moses Nyagaka Okioga.

Hi Moses & David,

Below is the Kentainers contact:

I will pass on the gutter info to Fred and ask him to take pictures of all three of you in front of the tanks you pick out. He can email them to me. I need these for storytelling here. I plan to raise funds in January and come to Kenya in February.

I am a rain catcher. I will tell your story and have people purchase water storage tanks directly from Kentainers for your community. After we have successfully completed your project we will use it as a model for how people can work to catch clean water for drinking, one village at a time. We will want to start a chain reaction. If, starting in January, we could help to create one water project per month — that would be my goal. I think we can do it.

Another way to build a foundation for the water tanks is leveling the ground, placing an iron ring on the level spot and filling the ring with sand. I will ask Fred Mango if his company can supply one ring per tank. The idea is for everything needed (foundation ring, gutters & tank to be delivered at the same time. Set-up in one day. Then we dance when the rains come.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Jack Rose

Chain Reaction

Hi Jack,
What are your plans for X-mas? I’ll be in LA December 24 to the 27th.
D.

Hi D,
Yea, we can possibly get together on the 26th. Call me on x-mas and we’ll set it up.

I’m currently writing a story called ‘Chain Reaction’, about noticing the various directions the dominoes fall with every little, and big, decision we make. Below is an example. See you soon, Jack

On Nov 30, 2006, at 8:56 AM, Humphrey Blackburn wrote:

Hey Jack. I just received a Google alert which referred me to your website. How cool is that! Looks like a good project, I’m looking forward to participating. I am still snowed in here- about 2 feet of snow since saturday. But it is changing today. Talk to you soon. Regards, H

Humphrey Blackburn, President, Blue Future Filters, Inc.
Blackburn & Associates
Sustainable Water Treatment for the World

The future is here, it’s just not widely distributed yet. — William Gibson

Hi Jack,
That’s very great. I would suggest I meet David and Moses first, have the requirements and tanks of their choice. Then, from there, I will be able to furnish you with the costing and the business plan. However, I have to thank you for your kindness and willingness to support this community, and may you be blessed.
Ragards, Fred Mango – Systems Administrator

Hi Jack
Thanks for the story.
Can I forward to a friend in South Africa originally from Kenya?
Happy Thanks giving to you too! See you soon! Many blessings,
lisa

Hi Jack, Wow! What an amazing story! I read the chain of emails and I definitely will keep Bosiango’s water conditions, as well as all the other places lacking water, in prayer. Jack you are an amazing man and if anybody can spearhead this project into a miracle blessing of water abundance for all….it would be you!
All the Best, Molly

Hi J
This is Awesome…Have you been able to make contact with Miguel in Lisbon?
Absolute Abundance is taking such shape, there is still a lot of work involved in setting the foundation, but the soaring of the project is limitless… Once I’ve identified the areas that need the Abundance, the RainCatchers are part of the Absolute… The sustainable… I also have another friend that lives in the Congo, and I would love to introduce the RainCatcher system to him too… Please let me know how things are working with Miguel, as they already have projects happening in Africa…love t (from South Africa)

Hi Jack,
I met David and Moses today. We have taken photos as you requested. They have told me they proposed a 20 tanks project to you, in regards to that they have chosen two 24,000 litres tank and the remaining 18 they need you to choose for them between 10,000 litres and 16,000litres tanks since you are the one who knows the budget you would like to work with.

I would propose a concrete foundation since it’s a long lasting solution. Find below the quotation of their selections.

24,000litres (5217 gal) – $230,000 KSHS $3,200 USD
16,000litres (3478 GAL) – $155,000 KSHS $2,200 USD
10,000litres (2174 Gal) – $95,000 KSHS $1,300 USD

Transportation costs – 2 Tanks per trip @ kshs.45,000 = $640 USD

N/B: Note that the above prices are VAT inclusive apart from the transportation costs.

The transport within Nairobi we usually do for free but since Bosiango is more than 500km (300 miles)away from Nairobi so the cost is involved. For 20 tanks to bosiango this will be 10trips so you can do your calculations right from the above quote depending on how many tanks to be delivered.

Costing of the supply and installation of rain water gutters, it is inclusive of all required fittings, down pipes, unions, rafter brackets, tangit…etc:

Please note, these prices include for supply and fixing in well served districts and locations. If you require them to be sent and fixed to a remote location, you may factor up the prices by 40% to ensure satisfactory supply and installation done to a professional level.

I have also attached some of the photos we took both three of us.Please feel free to ask any query. The tanks will be labeled raincatcher as you requested. Thanking you in advance and looking forward forward for a greater business with you.
Regards, Fred Mango – Systems Administrator

Hi David & Moses & Fred,
I received the pictures from Kentainers. Thank you, they are really helpful. I am now putting the Bosiango story on my site. You can tell others to go to raincatcher.org to read about our project. It The story will be updated as we go along. I am working on some low-cost designs so that you can hopefully begin collecting rainwater soon while we work on raising funds for the larger storage tanks.Go to this link on the Kentainers site: http://www.kentainers.com/kent/downloads/Aquapic.pdf and see pictures of the smaller Aquatanks with the sand + iron ring foundation. I will work with Fred to get some smaller tanks that are easy to move around and don’t need concrete foundations. I will be sending email photos of some simple RainCatchers made with plastic tarps tied to the overhangs of buildings and sloping down into a small tank. The idea is to get some materials to you as soon as possible so you can take advantage of the rainy season that is already under way. The tarps are taken down when it isn’t raining, so they stay clean, then set up again when the next rain starts falling. This is a very clean and inexpensive way to catch rain.

In April of 2002 we purchased a dozen tanks for ‘Water For Children – Africa’. They were the 6000 liter model and we paid $350. US dollars each. Are these still available for this price? Or would the Aquatank be the better way to go. We were able to get five tanks on each truck. At this stage I am just exploring all possibilities to get the best price per gallon. The cost for the 2002 project was .27 US cents per gallon – these quoted above come out to be .55 cents per gallon. I’m open to all suggestions.

I want to set up a RainCatcher account at Kentainers. As I begin fund raising I will have people transfer funds directly to Kentainers. When we have enough for a truck load, then the first shipment is made. In January I will come take pictures and walk and break bread. It is good that Kentainers is in four countries. What we accomplish in Bosiango can then be duplicated in other communities.

If $200 Billion is available worldwide for cosmetics, then there must be plenty for clean drinking water. This is my goal, however long it takes. Water for all.
Yours in friendship,
Jack

8 billion glasses

On Dec 5, 2006, at 10:27 PM, David Nyabuto Ogachi wrote:

Hi Jack, Thank you for your reply. As a matter of fact we agree with your suggestion of 6,000 litre tanks. And the foundation could be that of treated timber posts,this could be much cheaper. We hope to start catching rain soon.
Yours in friendship,
David N. Ogachi.

David, Way to go! I will email Fred Mango to see how much these cost.We can get five tanks in one truck, which will help for shipping.
Yours in friendship,
Jack

Hi Fred,
Can you give me a quote for the best possible price for a truckload of 5 -6000 litre tanks delivered to Bosiango. I think these will be more affordable and portable and I’m hoping to be able to place an order faster than if I were to wait for funds for the larger tanks. At least we can start catching rain sooner than later.
Your partner in the Bosiango RainCatcher Project,
Jack Rose

On Dec 7, 2006, at 1:42 AM, Cecilia Bergqvist wrote from Sweden:

Hi Jack!. . .The Raincatcher project in Africa is EXCITING!!! I wonder if I could help from here in some way. Wouldn’t that be cool…Just, keep that in mind when you get started, that if I somehow could make Sweden or Europe involved in this I’m open to it!!! What do you think!?
Love and good luck! Cecilia
p.s. I have a lot of time and not much work (unfortunately not any money either) but a lot of strength and in need of a new meaningful challenge…

Hi Cecilia, Yes.
There is much you can do. So many negative chain reactions in mid-process around the world. What I intend to do with the Bosiango RainCatcher Project is start a positive chain reaction that never stops, where each project leads to the next and then to many others until everyone has their own source of clean water.

We are told that everyone needs to drink eight glasses of water a day. When you and I show up anywhere for dinner, there is always a glass of water at our table setting. If a billion people don’t have access to a reliable source of clean & safe drinking water, then the way I see it – each day, when humanity’s table is set, we are about 8 billion glasses short. I am a waiter bringing as many glasses of water to the daily table as I can. So, yes, you can be a waitress and help me carry water.

You can help me set up RainCatcher Europe, with an office in Split. Traveling back and forth between Europe and Africa is so much easier, because of the same time zone. On my way back from Kenya in January I will meet you in Split and we can find a contact there. With computers we can work from a variety of locations in Europe, including Sweden if that’s home for you. On the January trip I will be meeting with several organizations and getting everything set up so we can raise funds in America & Europe that go directly to Kentainers (in four countries in Africa). When enough adds up for a truckload, a delivery of tanks & gutters is made to far away villages.

6000 litre tanks, can be delivered 500km from Nairobi to Bosiango – 5 on one truck. This will be our first delivery. My goal is to raise enough for this first shipment soon so they can get to Bosiango in time for Christmas. Then I will go there in January to plan subsequent deliveries. I would like to do 4 trucks total – 20 tanks – That will be a capacity of 120,000 litres (26,000) gallons)

Our job, as waiter & waitress, will be to tell the RainCatcher story. Some who hear it will want to provide a few glasses of water – one tank is 20,000 glasses of water – and then the tank keeps filling up, and overflowing, for the next 30 years. The impact of a single water storage tank is immeasurable. Over the next few decades we should be able to be a part of a chain reaction that results in thousands of tanks and millions of glasses of water – a positive use of domino theory.

Catching rain is child’s play. It is one of the most simple and natural things a human can do. RainCatcher is all about nuts & bolts, the hardware – getting materials delivered to communities so they can create their own source of water.

Below are two links to the types of organizations I plan to visit while in Africa:

Bead For Life in Uganda – beadforlife.org
Tuna’HAKI Foundation in Tanzania tunahaki.org — Empowering AIDS orphans and street children in Africa

Both are near the Bosiango Project, just across the border from Western Kenya.

Much love,
Jack

African Valentine

Notice of travels in Africa: I’ll be in Kenya for two weeks, from 2/14/07 to 2/28/07.

In Africa my work is to catch rain, elsewhere it is to light fires, to inspire people to help secure reliable sources of clean drinking water for everyone in need, especially children, who are most at risk to waterborne diseases. If you are moved to give a valentine to Kenya, there are three components needed for the successful completion of this project: Water Storage tanks $500-each; Katadyn water filters-$250 each and rain gutters-$250 per structure. We will set up as many RainCatchers as we receive funding for. To participate email jack@raincatcher.org and I’ll give directions for electronic funds transfer to Kentainers in Nairobi.

Remembering my last trip to Africa
I have never met a happier or more alive people. The ones who appear to have little have something we often lack — a sparkle, a smile, an openness, an ease, a faith, a way, all connected to some deeper well. To be there, to live there, in friendship, is like coming home. I went to Africa thinking I had something they needed. I returned with the knowledge that it is us who need Africa. My new pastime, therefore, is simply to encourage everyone I know and love, and the new friends I meet, to somehow get to Africa. It’s impossible to visit Africa and not be changed for the better. I will do what I can to help people have a safe and fulfilling journey to Africa, Africa will do the rest. Consider this the first installment of your invitation to Africa.

Average annual rainfall

March/April/May: Kenya/Tanzania/Uganda – long rain = 19 inches

Nov/Dec/Jan : Kenya/Tanzania/Uganda – short rain = 8 inches

Nov through March: Johannesburg/South Africa – rainy season = 17 inches

The East African equatorial highlands include Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, the three countries that surround Lake Victoria, headwaters of the Nile. This region enjoys two rainy seasons: the long rain is March/April/May; the short rain occurs in Nov/Dec/Jan.

Johannesburg’s rainy season is summer, from Nov to March.

Average rainfall:

Kenya: long rain – March-140mm…April-191mm…May-155mm
short rain – November-86mm…December-102mm

Johannesburg: summer – Nov-117mm…Dec-105mm…Jan-125mm…Feb-125mm…Mar-91mm

First Truckload of RainCatcher tanks delivered

Hi David & Moses,
Below are my latest exchanges with Fred Mango at Kentainers. My goal is to have the first truckload delivered to Bosiango in January.

Happy Holidays to you and your families.

Yours in friendship,
Jack

Hi Fred,
Can you give me a quote for the best possible price for a truckload of 5000 litre water storage tanks delivered to Bosiango. I think this size will be more affordable and portable — I’m hoping to be able to place an order faster than if I were to wait for funds for the larger tanks. At least we can start catching rain sooner than later.

Your partner in the Bosiango RainCatcher Project,
Jack Rose

On Dec 20, 2006, at 4:21 AM, fredmango wrote:

Hi Jack,

5000LITERS x 6 PER TRUCK @KSHS.31,190 PER TANK = 187,140
5,000 litres = 1,300 gallons @ $450. USD x 6 tanks = $2,700.
+ 600. (trucking & branding) = $3,300.

Transport is 40,000kshs. per truck per trip. ($600USD)

For printing ‘RainCatcher’ on the tanks it’s chargeable at kshs 2500.kshs per tank. ($35.USD)

I hope the above information is helpful to you.

Regards, Fred mango
Systems manager – Kentainers
Emabakasi Rd, Off Airport North Rd.
P.O BOX 42168-GPO, Nairobi.
Tel: (254) (20) 823513/4/5 6750993/6750984
Fax: (254) (20) 823927 URL: www.kentainers.com

Thanks Fred, This is perfect. Can you now connect me with your accounting dept. So I can set up a way for funds to start coming to Kentainers. I plan to order:

Six – 5,000 litre (1,300 gallon) tanks @ $450. USD x 6 tanks = $2,700.
+ 600. (trucking & branding) = $3,300.

Plus an assortment of rain gutters, tarps, ropes and small plastic storage containers needed for the portable RainCatchers.

If this first one goes well and we are able to continue to raise funds, the goal will be to deliver one truckload per month for the entire year of 2007.
Thanks, Jack

RainCatcher — water for California and beyond

Water for California

I have a solution to California’s, and the world’s, water woes. It’s called the RainCatcher.

In California, and throughout the Western U.S., the demand for water is rapidly outpacing supply. Current and future water needs for home and business owners, as well as for agriculture and industry, is so great that state government is desperately searching for new sources to tap, including adding six feet to the height of Shasta Dam. Massive, centralized infrastructure projects, paid for by increasing taxes and water bills, will not come close to meeting the relentless thirst of an ever expanding population. It is clear that for the next many decades, water will be the defining issue for California and the neighboring western states. What if every house in California caught and stored 10,000 gallons of water each season? That would add up to billions of gallons that wouldn’t have to be imported and purchased.

The California RainCatcher project will demonstrate how easy it is for homes; commercial and industrial buildings; municipal and public structures (office buildings, parking structures, etc) to be converted into rainwater collection centers. In this way each new and existing building can become a valuable source of water for landscaping. This would save billions of gallons each year. The water is free. Catching rain is easy. And plants love it, finding it preferable to chlorinated municipal water. Woodie Guthrie sang, “California is the Garden of Eden”. RainCatcher aims to nourish that garden by developing a new relationship with an old resource: rain. As with the installations we are doing in Africa, once a RainCatcher is in place, when the rains come no one is complaining, everyone is grateful. One at a time, as people get the concept of catching and using rainwater, the first question posed is, “I wonder why we waited so long to do this?” The wait is over, Raincatcher is here.

Where To Start

I am producing the first RainCatcher prototype for use along the coast of Northern California. My rainwater harvesting system will benefit both Californians and people in developing nations. Here’s how people in America can help their counterparts in Africa: Convert your house, garage or new building into a RainCatcher structure and 10% of the cost will go into the World RainCatcher Capital Pool. For every $1,000 spent on collecting rain here, $100 will go to setting up RainCatchers in Africa, where millions of people lack a consistent, clean source of water for drinking and irrigation. Each RainCatcher in America can help create a beneficiary RainCatcher house, school or medical clinic in Africa. This abundant resource will not only be enjoyed by millions here, but also shared with millions in developing countries. We have the capability of providing ample clean water for our own families and for others worldwide.

Manufacturers in Nairobi are making the tents and tanks needed for catching and storing rainwater for drinking and irrigation: Kentainers makes water storage tanks; Tarpo makes the RainCatcher tents.

Let it rain!