Nalwoodi Denzhone: Strength and Beauty Community (NDC), is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the people of the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona. Their goal is to transform approximately 93 acres of tribal land into what will become the Nnee Nalwoodi Life Center, a diversion center for struggling youth through agriculture, community events, and generally providing a safe space. Specifically, the aim is to rehabilitate community members through education, farming, gardening, animal husbandry and art, in a sustainable manner. Finally, the long term goal for this land is to be able to produce enough to maintain an active farmers market where program participants can sell produce and learn small business practices, as well as increasing accessibility to fresh produce through a separate mobile farmer’s market program.
Our Role (Work Plan)
The role of our Engineers Without Borders chapter will primarily be to provide engineering design and consulting services; site assessment, irrigation design, a restoration plan of an existing agricultural well, and cost assessments for the aforementioned things.
For example: In January of 2016, our chapter recommended a work plan to test an old irrigation well drilled on the property to assess the feasibility of farm restoration. The NDC thus tested the well and found that the water table had fallen since the well was drilled, but could no longer produce any water at the water table's current level. The NDC has since decided to break the ten acres into several different irrigation projects, including small family garden plots, large-scale crop cultivation, orchards, and areas for raising small animals.