Sustainability is important to Water for Kids, so Kennedy Mulele, our project manager appointed by the Zambian Institute of Environmental Health, went on a grueling trip in May to monitor our remote projects which were carried out in the last three years. Over 9 days he traveled right across Zambia and back, more than 2000 km on bumpy roads and tracks
He visited ten of the twelve boreholes drilled by Water for Kids in 2022 in the Chitambo District, including at a school and a clinic where the water is distributed, using a solar powered pump to wash basins. He found that the water was flowing well. Mr. Hagai Mwape, the nurse in charge, expressed gratitude “We used to have challenges when conducting deliveries due to water problems, but thanks to Water for Kids, we now have running water in the maternity ward, laboratory, and mothers’ shelter”.
However there is still work to be done. Community members need to protect their water points to keep animals away by building walls or fences. We will work with the local Environmental Health Technologist to facilitate and monitor this.
In the Mwansabombwe District, close to the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, he found water flowing from the borehole through solar powered distribution systems to taps at Mukamba and Kalasa schools and to nearby villages. These were installed by Water for Kids in 2023 and 2024. A hand wash station and washroom for older girls was also provided as part of the project at Kalasa school.
Kennedy visited the local chief/traditional leader His Royal Highness Mwata Kazembe who said “This is how things should be done, and you came on the ground and see for yourself what has been done unlike relying on reports “. He thanked Water for Kids for bringing massive development to his chiefdom.
Not only is the clean water reducing waterborne diseases, but it has also enabled local people to grow fruit and vegetables for their families and for sale. Whats more, school enrollment has increased significantly since clean water has been available.
In his conclusion, Kennedy commented on the impact of what Water for Kids has done: “From my interaction with the communities, I learned how your gesture of providing clean water has uplifted the confidence of children in rural Zambia. Water is not only a resource but its life because where there is no water, life cannot exist.”
