WfK's largest ever project is completed in Kamaila, Zambia

Kamaila Village

Kamaila is situated 50 kilometres from Lusaka (the capital city) and 11 kilometres of the journey is on a rough track. Charcoal burners established the village in 1963. Since then the population has risen to over 4,000 and has spread over a wide area, the village is 4km long. Most of the villagers live in traditional houses made of mud bricks, with grass roofs.
There is no health facility in the area; the nearest clinic is 18 kilometres away.

Kamaila village
Kamila village

Why WfK got involved

When WfK trustees Natasha Franklin and Barrie Whitehead first visited Kamaila in September 2003, they were told that diarrhoea ranked number three in the top ten causes of morbidity and mortality in the district. This was because of poor access to clean and safe water supply.

At that time most people in Kamaila drew their water from unprotected shallow wells situated throughout the village. There was a long queue of women with buckets waiting to draw water from a well next to the site of the first meeting with the villagers to discuss the WfK project. One of the very few houses with a pit latrine was less than ten metres from this well, so the water was at risk of contamination by human pathogens. In addition the well was only covered by a few logs, so was open to contamination from animals and insects.

The water committee

The village established a Water Committee in the early days, to oversee the project; it consisted of 50% women. They met regularly with Delphin Kinkese, the ZIEH Executive Member who managed most of the water installation in Kamaila. The Water Committee now looks after the installation on behalf of the village.

Six Well Minders were trained in March 2006 to maintain the boreholes and hand pumps and to educate others about the safe use of water. They are still members of the Water Committee.
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