A bit of a lie-in this morning - not leaving the hotel until 7:00 and then travelling down to ChIyoobola School which is in Chipembele Ward. The area is a real success story where, together with Monze District Council, the area achieved 100% toilet coverage back in 2008. I guess this probably seems a bit of a strange "achievement" to many people but for this area it's something to be very proud about. Our first stop, the school, where we learnt that the children had been waiting - patiently - for us for quite a while. They were all stood outside in a huge circle waiting to greet us. The Head Master thanked us for coming to his school and for all the help and support "we'd" given them and for "answering their prayers" - again it made you feel incredibly humble.
The school has its own latrine block - separate ones for boys, girls and staff - hand washing facilities outside them - and a borehole and hand pump about 500m away from which the children filled the hand washing and drinking facilities from every day. The borehole and hand pump was also used by the surrounding community. Over the next couple of hours we learnt about what life was like for the children in the school - what their hopes and dreams are - doctors, nurses, soldiers - no different to kids at home really.
Ruth Hachilima (13years old) and Mapenzi Munsaye (aged 14) showed me around one of the girls' latrine blocks and how they washed their hands at the hand wash stations outside the blocks. It seemed such a simple act and the girls were clearly very proud of their school and were keen to show it off to their visitors. It was difficult to think of something similar happening at home. The girls also explained how they told their families about the clean water and sanitation lessons they had at school - so hopefully more and more people learn about its importance. Unfortunately, sometimes the children sometimes end up drinking dirty water at home and get sick. However the school has a 98% attendance rate - so hopefully this is happening less and less. Exam pass rates for the girls has also increased recently.
After an "audience" with the local Chief for the area and a number of local councillors and tone dignitaries it was time to leave. But not before we'd taken part in a "goodbye and thanks" dance and left a few goodies from home for the school. So there are now several Welsh Water water bottles, pens and pencils in Chlyoobola School - oh and a couple of red dragons (small ones though..). Later that afternoon we visited nearby Mavwili Village which is a pretty remote village - albeit not quite as remote as Haboombe (yesterday's village).
Once again we were met with a fantastic reception of singing and dancing. The song was about giving thanks for the water they had (a hand pump had recently been installed) and that they were so grateful we were with them today - again incredibly humbling. As well as the water pump all the households in the village has their own latrine - which everyone said had really helped improve their quality of life.
We were also introduced to the concept of "water committees" - a group of formidable looking ladies (usually) who looked after the water pump, ensuring it was respected and well maintained by everyone. However everyone was in agreement that none of this fantastic work would have happened without the "WaterAid Lady" who spent a long time with them explaining the importance of drinking clean water (or rather the implications of drinking dirty water) and good hygiene. And suddenly the penny dropped and I began to see the importance of the "whole package" and why just providing pumps and latrines isn't the answer. The community needs to be supported by a full education programme about the importance of safe clean water and sanitation if our work is to be sustainable...
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