These beaming smiles belong to our Tikondane Village Savings and Loan (VSL) group members, who have just harvested the fruits of their labor after a year of hard work and diligent saving. Through our VSL program, these incredible individuals have learned the value of saving, budgeting, and investing in the future of their families. Click the link below to learn more about how VSLs work and hear incredible stories from these women.
A Gift of Water to Kanono Village
Author: Praises Padambo
A Gift of Water to Kanono Village
For the people of Kanono, access to clean water was a distant dream. Idah Masina shares, “Growing up with clean water, I never appreciated its value until I moved to Kanono, where water scarcity was a daily struggle.”
Victoria Chitseka echoes this sentiment in Chichewa, saying, “Chimaphweka ukakhala nacho,” meaning “things are not valued as much when you have them at your disposal.”
Not so long ago, people spent at least 50 minutes fetching water. And in most cases, the borehole next village used to be crowded as it used to serve a population of over 200 people. This could continuously lead to conflicts and fights at the borehole. Kanono village residents talk of how at times they were forced to draw water from unprotected wells which posed health risks.
“Whenever someone passed away, households would pool resources to hire a vehicle to fetch water for the funeral,” says Victoria.
Victoria also shares how the water crisis affected education, as children spent hours in borehole queues, leading to tardiness and poor school performance.
Kanono village people explain how appreciative they are for the gift of water that Orant has given their village. One resident, Dinalesi Damitoni, explains that the borehole has not only helped the hygiene side of their lives but also household nutrition and food security.
“This gift has improved our hygiene, household nutrition, and food security. We now grow vegetables and crops, using borehole water for irrigation,” says Dinalesi.
What strikes her the most is that the borehole has also helped Kanono residents to start constructing brick walled toilets and houses which they could not in the past as they could not manage to mold bricks due to scarcity of water. As a result, they could resort to constructing toilets and houses out of grass, which were not durable.
“This year, in January, my house collapsed due to heavy rains. Unable to afford brick repairs, I resorted to rebuilding with grass. But with the borehole, I have started molding bricks to reconstruct my home, ensuring a safer and more durable structure.”
The borehole’s impact extends beyond access to clean water. The community received vital training on maintenance and upkeep, empowering them to safeguard their new resource.
As Vice Chairperson of the Water Point Committee, Victoria takes pride in their proactive approach: “We keep a register for visitors to sign, so we can hold them accountable if any damage occurs. This borehole is our treasure, and we’re committed to protecting it. We will ensure our children’s grandchildren can drink from this same borehole.”
Kanono village is just one of many communities benefiting from Orant’s WASH program. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our generous donors for their unwavering support.
Learn more about Orant’s WASH program: https://orantcharitiesafrica.org/water-sanitation-programs/
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