TEACH A CHILD TO FISH
Maechaem kids need more protein, and so do their families. Again and again the villagers have tried to build tanks for fish, but the sandy soil won't hold water. Three recent attempts lie dry and full of leaves.When Vin learned about this he met with students from the fisheries department at Maejo University and started to plan. A week later Vin and the student leaders rode motorbikes thee hours south to Maechaem. They met with the elders, took measurements, and laid out an ambitious project: to transform the food supply for the people of Maechaem.
There will be a fish tank 75 by 18 feet and four and a half feet deep, three cisterns re-purposed for frog farming, and two smaller tanks. The big tank will hold catfish, tilapia, and silver barbs. The small tanks will be for breeding projects and experimentation.The tanks need concrete beds and strong block walls, and will require a reliable water supply. Vin's team will lay a half kilometer of blue PVC pipe to carry clean water from a high spring-fed pond. The water will also irrigate a big new vegetable garden. Because the expertise, labor, rocks, and sand are all free, the project will cost little. Cement and blocks and PVC pipe will have to be purchased, as well as the starter fish and frogs. They'll also need help transporting students (many of them from poor families themselves) to the worksite.
