In places like Zambia and Zimbabwe, where many depend on unclean water sources, simple boreholes installed by World Vision are bringing renewed health and allowing individuals to look toward a brighter future.

August 2009

By Collins Kaumba, World Vision Zambia; Sibusisiwe Ndlovu, World Vision Zimbabwe; and Jessie Lester, World Vision U.S.

In 2006, Mapesho Jikumbi lost her oldest sister. “We were told at the hospital that she died because [she] had suffered from severe diarrhea and [that] she had bilharzia too,” Mapesho recalls. Bilharzia is a disease caused by parasitic worms that live in contaminated water.

‘I thought I was going to die’

In Mapesho’s community, located in the south-central African country of Zambia, waterborne illnesses were all too common. Most people in the village got their water from the local stream and shallow, hand-dug wells. But the stream was unclean, and the wells were unprotected, leading to easy contamination.

Mapesho, 15, and her siblings frequently suffered from diarrhea, dysentery, and bilharzia. “The death of my sister gripped my mind, because I thought I was going to be the next one to die because of the unsafe water we used to drink,” Mapesho confesses.

Accessing clean, safe water

Though they knew it was harmful, Mapesho’s family had no choice but to use water from the stream. “We used to go spend about an hour to get to the stream and another hour to get back home, carrying a 20-liter container on my head,” says Mapesho.

Gathering water used to consume much of Mapesho’s mornings, leaving her worn out. But that changed when World Vision dug a deep borehole near Mapesho’s school. Once hand pumps were installed, the borehole provided the entire community with easy access to clean, safe water.

Since then, the rate of disease has significantly reduced, and families like Mapesho’s no longer have to wonder whether there will be water for cooking, bathing, cleaning, and drinking. And, more importantly, they don’t have to worry about that water making them sick or threatening their lives.

Improved education

Teachers in the area have also seen an improvement in learning, as children like Mapesho are finding more time to focus on their studies. “Before, Mum used to wake me up very early in the morning to fetch water at the stream before going to school. As a result, I used to get to school very late,” says Mapesho. Now, it takes Mapesho only 10 minutes to fetch water, and she has plenty of time to get ready for school.

Mapesho is a World Vision sponsored child, which means that she is receiving assistance with things such as health care and education. Thanks to this support, and the energy she has from fresh, clean water, Mapesho no longer wonders about her future. Instead, she is determined to finish school and pursue a nursing career.

Transforming lives

Soneni Nvirenda, who lives in the neighboring country of Zimbabwe, can also testify to the fact that something as simple as a borehole can transform life and provide a brighter outlook on the future.

When a borehole was installed at the local health clinic in her community, this widowed grandmother had just learned that she was HIV positive. “I felt helpless at first, especially being unemployed and being custodian of my orphaned grandsons. I thought I would die any time,” says Soneni. “But this borehole changed all this,” she adds, referring to the well installed by World Vision.

Preventative medicine

The installation of the borehole meant that Soneni no longer had to travel nearly five miles to acquire water — a trek that would be nearly impossible with HIV draining her energy. In addition, the clean, uncontaminated water is like preventative medicine, since living with the virus makes Soneni more susceptible to the disease and infection lurking in unprotected sources.

The water from the borehole is so clean that even Soneni’s grandsons, Mthokozisi and Mthabisi, have noticed a difference. Before, the 9-year-old twins constantly suffered from diarrhea, due to contaminated water. “I love the water from the clinic because it is so clean; it doesn’t have any worms like the dirty water from the well we used to collect from before this borehole was drilled,” says Mthabisi.

Nurses at the clinic have seen a dramatic decrease in diarrhea infections and cholera cases. They are also reporting that the health of the entire community has improved, as those who do get sick are more likely to seek care when they are already at the clinic for water.

Building the future

The borehole also provided Soneni with new economic opportunities and a chance to help others living with HIV. “Because of the readily available water at our disposal at the clinic, I decided to establish a nutrition and herbal garden for people living positively with HIV and AIDS,” she says.

The support group that Soneni formed is helping people who are HIV positive cope with this status and create a sustainable livelihood. The garden provides plenty of nutritious food and enough crops to sell for profit.

“Despite the fact that I am unemployed, I can now afford to [pay] Mthokozisi and Mthabisi’s school fees and meet their daily needs, all thanks to this borehole that has changed our lives for the better,” says Soneni. Even though she is HIV positive, clean water is keeping Soneni healthy and helping her build a future for her grandsons and her community.