Water is flowing once again at this borehole in Chisamba Village, Zambia. For months, the water point – originally drilled by another organization – was out of service. But thanks to the efforts of William, a 28-year-old Area Pump Minder, it’s working again.
Area Pump Minders are volunteers who are trained to repair boreholes in their communities. In 2022, we collaborated with the local government to fund William’s training in borehole maintenance. Today, we’re proud to employ many of the Area Pump Minders we’ve previously trained to assess the dysfunctional water points, source materials and carry out the repairs. After several weeks of work on the Chisamba borehole, William had the hand pump working and water flowing freely again.
The effects of a broken hand pump can be devastating to the local community. In Chisamba, teenaged girls had to walk long distances to fetch water for their families, missing school and facing risks of gender-based violence along the way. Without clean water, the community was vulnerable to infectious diseases like cholera and trachoma – an eye infection that can cause blindness if left untreated.
For one local grandmother, seeing the water flow has brought a renewed sense of hope for her grandchildren, who had been walking up to three kilometres each day to fetch water.
The work we do goes far beyond just creating access to safe, clean water. The borehole becomes a focal point for community interaction and allows people raise extra income by growing vegetables and selling the produce – strengthening both livelihoods and resilience within the community.
Story written with files from Program Manager Tony Kazembe.
Learn more about the ripple effects of clean water by watching our video about boreholes in Zambia’s Sinazongwe District.
