An important part of our programme is the provision of good quality water that is accessible for all families. Most water in the parish is still sourced from open surface water which is also used by animals and for washing.

There are several alternate possibilities but most common in this area are hand dug / machine bored wells or rainwater catchment. The latter is becoming increasingly popular for households and on a larger school for schools, clinics or church buildings.

With approximately 1250 mm rainfall per year and a normal roof area rainwater catchment can supply 4 to 7 months per year of good quality water. The photos show a “traditional” surface water source and part of a rainwater catchment system.

Water is collected off the roofs of the clinic and staff quarters. It is stored in an underground tank. A hand pump is provided to feed the header tank which ensures a good pressure of water to all taps.

A typical village water pump is also shown this is in the village of Mputte and was installed in late 2007

Watch Audio-Video Presentation of the First Water

N.B. If you have problems playing the presentation download and install this free, open-source media player which plays virtually everything. Subsequently right-click on the movie and "save target as" to your computer then right-click on the downloaded file and "open with" "VLC Media Player".