Images courtesy of Nancy Berbank. Clockwise: Ngwana primary school, local farmer Sifelani Moyo, local farm, road to the local dam.

Help fund a water borehole in rural Zimbabwe

Hello friends: I am raising funds on behalf of the The Bana BeNgwana Development Trust to fund the drilling of a bore hole in Ngwana Area, Matabeleland South Province, in South West Zimbabwe. The bore hole will supply clean water for a planned new clinic, the local primary school and the immediate community.

The Trust is an initiative set up by local people who were either born, live, work or do business in the area and who are committed to transforming their community.

I grew up in Ngwana and visit every year for at least a month to do some community work, ranging from repairing benches at the school, painting classrooms and more recently, working at the clinic site. The local community have moulded more than 90,000 bricks for the clinic. The toilets have been built, the site fenced, serviced and the foundation of the main structure is all in place.

Our motto is: ”If we want development let's work on it.”

I am the UK contact for the Trust and like myself, all members of the Trust either live or have close connections to the area and understand our community's priorities.

The rebuilding of the local clinic is one of the Trust's long-term major projects; the community's closest medical facility is 10 kilometres away and the nearest hospital is 26 kilometres away. There is no local public transport and at certain times of the year, the roads are impassable. Raising the funds for such an ambitious project is a big undertaking, but we have identified milestones to help us to get there and the drilling of a bore hole to ensure a supply of clean water for the clinic is an important milestone in the clinic project.

Access to clean water for sanitation, drinking, washing, cooking, farming and livestock is a major concern for all local people. A local dam is an important water source and this is supplemented by 5 bore holes, which are in constant need of servicing and repair. The dam itself also needs major structural work, as 50% of its capacity is lost to seepage and the silt is at dangerous levels for livestock. By late winter the dam is pure mud, which is a danger to the livestock, as they can become trapped and the water becomes so muddy and dirty that it is not fit for human consumption.

Repair and reconstruction of the dam is another long-term aim of the Trust and once achieved this will make a big improvement to our community’s water supply, but our immediate concern, is that the existing 5 bore holes are insufficient to supply our community and none are located sufficiently close to the site of the clinic.

Please support this appeal to fund a bore hole for the clinic and we will be one step closer to providing local people with the local medical services they require.

All money donated will go directly to the bore hole project. All Trust members are volunteers who dedicate their time freely and are committed to positive change in our community. The Trust is formally registered as a charitable non-profit organization in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Registration in the UK is in process.

Thank you.

Costs Breakdown: £4550

Solar Pump plus fittings £530, 5,000 litre tank plus mounting £600 , Transportation of tanks and solar equipment from Bulawayo £380, £3,040 Borehole drilling and equipment hire

Minus £300 already donated by Swale Sings choir and Ngwana community in the UK

Lucky Moyo

www.ngwanadevelopmenttrust.com