One at a Time
Semi had a broad smile as he put the sand and concrete mix into the mold. It is a job for a plodder – someone who doesn’t mind repetition. It can only be done one at a time and takes time to get a nice sized stack. This is an important job because we need every one of them to do the smallest building. We need huge numbers of bricks to do the larger building.
Bricks are made one at a time in a press with a long handle. The mix of concrete, clay and sand are shoveled into the press. The operator then shaves the excess off and pulls the handle down to force all the damp mix into every corner of the mold. He then carefully takes the brick out of the mold as he inspects it for quality. The brink is stacked in a pile to dry. It takes about a week for it to completely dry.
The job actually begins 40 miles north of the base where a crew shovels sand from a river bed. Every shovel full is by hand. The truck fills and then is driven back to the base where it is unloaded one shovel full at a time. It is then mixed with the concrete and clay to become the brick. The concrete is purchased at a supply store 20 miles from the base. The 50-pound bags are loaded and transported to the site of the brick press on our base. I am amazed at the amount of work it takes to make one brick.
The buildings on our base are well built and have survived some pretty big earthquakes. These facilities are home to our school, children’s homes, clinics, hospital, staff housing, AIDS/HIV housing, leper rehabilitation center and T.B. patients. These buildings have been built one brick at a time.