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Keeping the water flowing

Summer 2016 Newsletter

Kaloko’s Zambia team has been busy over recent months preparing to drill and install, at the end of the dry season, five new boreholes at Chapewa, Funte, Kalunwishi, Muone and Nsunka, funded by Just a Drop. From the start, Kaloko’s project process gets the community involved in the ongoing custody of the water pump, establishing a water and sanitation committee. Members are community representatives (half male, half female) who work to resolve any issues regarding its maintenance and use. Martin Jere, our talented and busy lead on the project, works with the committees to identify appropriate sites, taking into consideration accessibility and environmental issues, with the advice of district environmental health technicians. The community members receive 10 days’ training and learn how to: build a fence around the borehole to protect it from animals; construct a soak pit, where spilled or dirty water can drain away gradually; and carry out simple borehole repairs. The training is hands on and the community teams get fully engaged, describing it as interesting and enjoyable. As part of the project most members of the community make a small donation to provide for potential future repairs. This engagement is a key aspect in the ongoing success and sustainability of these projects. Kaloko’s team interviewed community members about the difference that having clean, bountiful water near to their homes will make to them. Mary, pictured left, will particularly benefit. She is a single mother of five children who currently collects water from an open well which is dirty and contaminated. Also, she is restricted in the quantity of water that she can collect since an operation she had on her neck. Mary is delighted that there will be a borehole with fresh, clean water close to her home. So are we!Add paragraph text here.