HEALTH & SANITATION
31
HEALTH AND SANITATION
31
“Having a plumbing code in my village and
in Rwanda means a lot because it will allow
us to use commonly accepted techniques
in plumbing."
toured Local 5’s state-of-the-art training centre
and visited a mechanical contractor’s shop,
where Twagirimana was exposed to all aspects
of the business, from the estimating process to
fabrication.
They then drove from Virginia to Pittsburgh,
where they toured Local 27 and Local 449.
While in Pittsburgh, they visited several
construction sites, including a three-hour
tour of one of the nation’s largest sewage
treatment plants. From there it was on to Ann
Arbor, Michigan, where Twagirimana took
classes on methods in teaching water supply
systems and drainage systems through the UA
Instructor Training Program. Each class had 20
contact hours.
“The UA Instructor Training Program was very
interesting because during this programme,
trainers from throughout the country meet and
get updates on technology and techniques to
use in their training in order to get well-skilled
trainees,” Twagirimana says.
After participating in the graduation ceremony,
Twagirimana flew to Denver to spend time at the
UA Local 3 Training Centre.
He said his trip to the United States opened his
eyes to what is possible for Rwanda and other
East African nations.
“After coming back to my country from the
USA, I got inspired by how plumbing is a very
big industry with a lot of opportunities,” he said,
“and I decided to organise my colleagues to
improve our industry and promote the use of
plumbing codes and standards of water
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use in our country, which are not developed
and done.”
Bigley said Twagirimana enjoyed a celebrity-
like status in Ann Arbor, where all of the fellow
instructors welcomed him with open arms.
“The WPC couldn’t have asked for a better
beginning to what will hopefully become a
long-lasting annual tradition of sharing plumbing
education with all our brothers and sisters
throughout the world at the Instructor Training
Program in Ann Arbor,” he said.
The RPO is already making history, as it recently
hosted a plumbing code class — based on
IAPMO’s Uniform Plumbing Code — for the first
time in the nation’s history. Bigley assisted in
creating the lesson plan.
“Having a plumbing code in my village and in
Rwanda means a lot because it will allow us to
use commonly accepted techniques in plumbing,
know all about the effects of bad sanitation and
the use of untreated water, and increase job
opportunities in the plumbing industry,” he said.
Bigley said there would be no RPO without
Twagirimana’s vision, and this is only the
beginning.
“Hopefully he can implement plumbing
curriculum, training and adoption of the UPC so
that his fellow Rwandans can enjoy safe and
reliable drinking water and proper sanitation,”
he says. “I have no doubt that Jean Claude is
up for the task. I wish he could come every
year.” PA
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November 2019 Volume 25 I Number 9
Your one stop portal for the latest industry news,
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