A Hydro Electric Scheme for Kalene
In this year 2006 Kalene Mission Hospital will commemorate 100 years of providing health care to its local Zambian population. The hospital was founded by missionaries deep in the African bush and today the location is still one of the more remote regions of Africa. Within Zambia it is situated almost at the most north-western corner of the country. The nearest tarmac road ends 50 miles away. The dirt “road” to the hospital is poor even by UK farm track standards and is frequently impassable in the wet season. The local population survives by subsistence farming and is only one generation removed from a hunter/gatherer existence. The Hospital provides outpatient and inpatient services for the local population in general and tropical medicine, general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology with the specialities of ophthalmic, ENT and, orthopaedic surgery provided by visiting doctors. The maternity unit delivers between 900 and 1000 babies per annum. Kalene Mission Hospital
Historically, Kalene Mission Hospital has had to supply its own power needs using diesel generators. The diesel for these has to be transported by truck and is sourced in South Africa; a journey of 2500km. Zambia has a petroleum refinery but it is inadequate for the needs of the country and unreliable due to several factors. These caused it to close down several years ago and for an extended period. In addition to diesel, bottled gas (used for cooking) is obtained from the same source. It is estimated that Kalene Mission Hospital spends in excess of US$ 60,000 per annum (and rising) on power provision for its necessary infrastructure. The Hydro Electric scheme will provide a threefold increase in the power availability for the same cost i.e. 9 hours will cost the same as the current 3 hours per day. Geographically, the hospital is six kilometres away from the nearest perennial river with sufficient flow to support a Hydro Electric scheme. Although the prime driver for the project is to deliver power to Kalene Mission Hospital, the overall purpose is to provide power to the whole community. Connection to the national grid is not an option as it ends 380km away and there are no plans for the national power company (ZESCO) to extend it in the direction of the North West Province. The first clearings of the bush for the project were made in April 2004. The site beside the Zambezi rapids and 6 kilometres from Kalene Mission Hospital is remote, so the first task was to make a road to the site. As the months passed the whole site was cleared of bush and the soil excavated to the bedrock along the line of the canal, penstock (the pipes that feed the water from the end of the canal down the 15 metres to the turbine) and the turbine house. 
Kalene Workers
All the work was done by hand. This was a deliberate policy as it provided much needed employment in the area as it sought to develop the local economy rather than have profits go to businesses in the industrialised parts of the country. A lot of excellent work was also done in linking with the local community, working through the Chiefs and the local councillors to educate and inform the people about the changes that were required to allow the safe provision of domestic electricity at village level. The abilities and adaptability of the people were impressive and even before a single kilowatt of electricity has been generated the project is having a profound positive impact locally. 
Arrival of Turbine
Mr Gordon McKillop is one of the many people who have given their time and expertise to help in the Hydro-electric project. He, with others visited Ossberger in Germany where the turbine was manufactured, in order to inspect and obtain details of how to install the equipment. MMN arranged shipment and the equipment eventually arrived at Musenga, Chingola in September 2005. The size of the component parts were physically larger than anticipated, with the main unassembled turbine weighing in at 10 tons. The challenges were enormous to get this entire consignment into Africa, through customs and then finally transported on to the Kalene site. The roads were also a challenge and work teams had to be organised to do some levelling before trucks could be sent. All of this work needed to be completed before the expected rains fell. 
Turbine Support Beams
All the equipment has now been delivered to Kalene and with those on site we praise the Lord for His wisdom and help in unloading the Turbine and all the other equipment safely and intact. Peter Gill, the project manager writes “It seems that everyone involved in this project has been stretched because of the adverse conditions and the “unknowns” one encounters in rural Africa. However, we have been motivated by the thought of seeing not only the large Kalene Hospital supplied with power, but also local schools, clinics and villages being provided with electricity for the first time ever. It is so clear to us that the Lord’s hand has been on this project from the outset. We are very conscious of our ongoing need of His help and the additional creative thinking needed in the near future to bring this vision into reality. We therefore look forward to the exciting day when the Upper Zambezi will begin to provide power to this district, and we can anticipate the great celebrations of communities when lights are first switched on”. 
Christians working with the Developing World
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