| Joy flows in Zimbabwean villages |
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| Tuesday, 20 November 2007 00:00 |
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Kaylea Fearn writes from Zimbabwe
As we ascended the hill, we could see them dancing. I asked Sipiwe Dewa, our Zimbabwe Council of Churches’ partner, what they were singing about, and she translated: “Who’s got it? Who’s got it? We’ve got the tank!”
Despite the laborious nature of the tank-building task, they looked back at the process fondly. Building a tank gave them fresh water for their families, marketable skills and brought the community closer together. This project clearly enabled them to make positive decisions about their future. As one woman said, “We found out what Jesus really meant when he asked us to love our neighbour. We did not each build our own tank, we helped each other build tanks for everyone”. Sipiwe Dewa founded the rainwater harvesting program in 1996. She said the beauty of the program lies in the sense of empowerment the women experience by choosing to start a project and building it themselves. “The women who build the tanks have something to be proud of. These are their tanks. It was their decision to build them. The men in the villages we visit are so impressed by what can be achieved that they are asking for programs that they can start too!” Sipiwe said with a smile. The villagers said there had been virtually no diarrhoea reported since the tanks were constructed. This is a remarkable and much-needed improvement, considering approximately 3,000 people die each week in Zimbabwe from treatable diseases such as dysentery. Tests have confirmed that urban and rural water in Zimbabwe is undrinkable and fresh water is now one of the most expensive commodities available in the country. “A village having its own source of fresh water, which is not reliant on a Government system, gives them security,” Sipiwe explained. “Now we ask Australians to pray with us for rain to fill the tanks for the next year, because we are in the midst of our rainy season.” Before the tanks were constructed in the village, women walked for hours each day to find water; there was never a guarantee it would be clean. The extra hours are now used to plant vegetables or work on other sanitation projects. Children missed school classes because they were required to make long treks to help cart water back to the school grounds. Now they race out to the tanks beside the classrooms during breaks to have a quick drink of water. The women from the various villages in a locality have met to discuss what their villages need most desperately. In Plumtree, they decided that once they have constructed enough tanks to quench everyone’s thirst, they will start building their own stoves in the village kitchens.
When Sipiwe founded the rainwater harvesting program for the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, it was because she had received so many requests for water from the rural people. The Christmas Bowl has supported the Zimbabwe Council of Churches’ rainwater harvesting program since its inception and according to Sipiwe, they were the first international partner consulted. “Our Australian partners were the first to encourage us in our rainwater harvesting idea. When no one else saw its merit, they supported us and have been with us all along the way. We have all achieved this together,” she said. Sipiwe said that any aid or devepment program is most effective when it is devoted to empowering people to take control of their situations. Allowing communities to take responsibility for themselves can start a chain reaction of positive change. Christian World Service hopes to maintain its present level of funding for the rainwater harvesting program ($75,000 a year) from this year’s Christmas Bowl program. To give to the Christmas Bowl, go to www.ncca.org.au/cws/give or freecall 1800 025 101.
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Driving down the dirt track into a small village in the Plumtree district of Zimbabwe last month, I could hear a chorus of female voices crescendo.
Whilst singing their joyful song, the women danced around the tank, incorporating movements depicting the construction process. One woman climbed on top of the rainwater tank and waved her arms as the other women cheered!
Presently, kitchens are hot and smoky areas with no roof or protection from the elements. The women complained of the unhygienic environment, danger of burns and the limited range-cooking methods they use. "I have always dreamed of baking,” said one woman, “If we had a stove in our village, we could all eat better food. I would be happy to cook!”
“The churches wanted to help the people, so we asked them how. They wanted water, so we researched the best way of sustaining a water supply and took it back to them. Then we trained them so that they could conduct the whole project for themselves,” Sipiwe said.
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