Rosina Thabi of Matangari village used to push her wheelbarrow twice a week for about 10 km to fetch water at the nearby Mudaswali River. During her long haul, she risked being run over by speeding cars on the busy tarred road, but for her, no other option existed, as water, after all, is a necessity.
However, the lives of Thabi and thousands other Matangari villagers changed for the better when a private benefactor stepped in, and the village was equipped with five solar-powered boreholes. Villagers can now get water from taps 24 hours a day. The boreholes are connected to storage tanks and pipelines that supply water through street taps.
Matangari village's traditional leader, Musanda Vho-Mutulagole Nyamande, explained how this life-changing initiative was conceived.
"Countrywide, people are complaining about unreliable water supply, and it was also affecting my subjects here in my village. I could not fold my arms while my people face the daily struggle for water as most of them are poor and cannot afford to sink boreholes or buy water from those with boreholes. So, I approached some businesspeople to help us with water provision in my village, even though it was not an easy task."
He said he was very happy when his request was accepted by the sponsors, Innovation Africa, who offered to assist. "They never thought twice about considering our request and we are happy that the people can now have water whenever they need it. Innovation Africa started putting up the infrastructure in August last year, and in February this year, the people here in Matangari village had access to water. There are plans to add two more boreholes in Buluni and Dzumbama, so that the villagers in those areas don't have to walk long distances to fetch water," he said.
One of the jubilant villagers, Rofhiwa Begwa, said she did not have enough words to thank her traditional leader and the sponsors for improving their lives. "What more can we ask for? Life is now easy as we can access water at any time of the day. Words alone cannot express our gratitude for this life-changing initiative," she said.