Walking for water...

Yesterday we walked for water in Mawindi village. This is the third water walk I’ve done and whilst they have all been challenging this was the hardest, both physically and emotionally. The water conditions in this village are heartbreaking. The water is minimal and this is the only source available which needs to be shared amongst 1500+ people. The walk is approximately 1.2 km from the school. It’s incredibly rocky, mostly uphill (on the return) and temperatures are upwards of 30+ degrees.The women and children do this walk 5-10 times per day. We’re working with this village to provide an electric pump which will not only provide them with clean and safe drinking water but it also opens up opportunities for expansion into other communities. Electricity is obviously needed for us to provide an electric pump so it’s not always an option but we have been working with this village to make this happen. The well (kisima) is already drilled but we’re now working towards getting the electricity connected. The village leaders have a meeting, which we’re attending, tomorrow to strategise how they are going to raise the remaining money needed to get this project finished. The obvious answer is to help them with money, which isn’t a huge amount, but we’re already paying for the well, pump and installation so we want to empower these villages to take ownership of the well, contribute to the project and come together as a community, holding themselves accountable. Plus, we want to ensure they see us as friends (rafiki) not an organisation that just provide funding. Often hard decision like this need to be made but it’s an incredibly powerful message that’s necessary to ensure sustainability for their independent growth and our relationship. . We are also working with this village with implementing an education program and horticulture. Mawindi are a beautiful village who are very progressive. I’m so excited to see how together we can make significant impact and change.