Day 3 continued: Mavwili Village

Mavwili Village (post-intervention rural community)

At 15:30 on day 3 we arrived in Mavwili village to the usual Zambian welcome. The villagers greeted us with traditional African dances and songs, singing lyrics that translated as “thank you for the water you brought”. A component of the song also included our visit and had been tailored for our arrival, what a welcome!

Dancing around the borehole in Mavwili village

After the warm welcome the village head told us the story of Mavwili before the WaterAid intervention. Since Zambia gained independence in 1964 there was no Government assistance for Mavwili. WaterAid came to their rescue in 2007. Before this the villagers would defecate in the surrounding area. The water for everyday use was taken from the nearby stream which was used by animals and was contaminated with faeces during the wet season (due to the open defecation). The villagers suffered from diarrhoeal diseases and they didn’t know why.

A representative from the council visited the community and advised that they needed to construct some latrines and they would then be given a borehole. People began accepting this and taking action which resulted in the village being provided with cement for their latrines. They were then put in touch with WaterAid Monze and assistance was given. They were advised that they would need to continue construction of their latrines, build dish racks and set up water committees before a pump would be installed. The community took on this advice and proved that they were ready for a borehole. WaterAid and it’s partners gave them the promised borehole and the benefits were clear to see.

Mavwili village is a wide rural village divided by a number of streams. This can make water collection difficult for villagers living further away from the borehole. The village head asked us to “cement our friendship” by returning to the UK with these stories.

Question Time with Mavwili Village

We were given the chance to interview the Water Point Committee who were put in place to look after the operations and maintenance of the pump. The committee is made up of the committee members, a secretary and a caretaker. It was obvious that the Water Point Committee took a lot of pride in their asset and has set up a great structure to operating and maintaining it. We went on to ask the committee a number of questions:

A new friend and I operating the Mavwili borehole

Question 1: What are the daily duties carried out to operate and maintain the pump?

Answer: The caretaker uses a spanner every day to check all of the bolts.

Question 2: Who provided the tools?

Answer: The whole community contributed to purchase them.

Question 3: When was the Water Point Committee set up?

Answer: The committee was set up after the latrines were constructed but before the pump was installed. They set it up following advice from WaterAid and the Local Authority as they knew people would help if they proved they were ready.

Question 4: What do they discuss in their Water Point Committee meetings?

Answer: Developmental discussions e.g. donating to help others less fortunate in the village.

Question 5: Who decided on the location of the borehole?

Answer: The Water Point Committee and village inhabitants decided on the location.

Question 6: What is the village population?

Answer: There are 360 people in the village who live in 3 different locations around the streams.

Question 7: How long have the current members been in the Water Point Committee?

Answer: They’ve all been in the committee since it was established in 2007/08 and were selected due to their particular skills. There are 10 people in the committee and each member has a specific role.

Question 8: What benefits have been realised since the borehole was installed?

Answer: It has saved them time as they no longer have to walk for miles to collect water from streams and there is a lot less disease due to the clean water. They are now a lot happier, healthier and stronger and can farm well. They have plenty of food and even have enough to sell.

Question 9: Have they had any performance issues while they’ve had the borehole?

Answer: They had an issue a while back but the committee bought spares from a nearby clinic and paid someone to fix it. The tools were free but they need to pay for the work to get undertaken. Most villagers make contributions for the repairs. They have a revolving fund which is in a local bank account.

Question 10: What are the villager’s sources of income?

Answer: They sell their animals and crops.

Question 11: Do the local children go to school?

Answer: Yes, they attend Chiyobola school.

Question 12: Do they pass their new found knowledge and processes onto other communities that do not yet have these facilities?

Answer: Yes, they’ve alredy helped surrounding communities.

Question 13: What gave them the motivation to get themselves organised to receive a borehole?

Answer: The latrine construction gave them the motivation to start the committee to show that they were ready for the new facilities. They could see the benefits of having safe water and sanitation.

Question 14: How long did it take WaterAid and their partners to install the borehole?

Answer: 2 to 3 months from initial communication to delivery.

Question 15: If they to make one improvement what would it be?

Answer:  Their main concern is to give the villagers further away from the borehole their own water supply.

Me in Mavwili village

Question Time with the Mavwili Village Head

The village head is Paul Mutinta a retired school teacher and it’s clear to see that he has a lot of pride in his community. He’s a figure of authority and does not allow people within his village to be lazy. They all have to get involved in the development of the village.

The village head and his father with Diana, Helen, Lee, Grant and Sally

Question 1: How do children of today in Zambia differ from when he was a teacher?

Answer: Children of today have learnt a lot and are advanced in the knowledge of current technology. With the education provided in school children are aware how important proper hygiene is which has resulted in no open defecation.

Question 2: Why did WaterAid decide to work in Mavwili?

Answer: Mavwili was very proactive and proved that they were ready for a water pump. The annual World Toilet Day event was held in Mavwili village due to their successes. His community responds fast as they believe in development and the heads don’t tolerate laziness or not getting behind development.

Question 3: Does the village get support from the Chief of the ward?

Answer: Yes, he is very supportive.

It was a fantastic afternoon with an inspirational community that proved just how WaterAid can change peoples lives and give communities the opportunity to develop and better themselves. We can all learn a lot from the Mavwili villagers, a shining WaterAid success story.