Solar powered water works - Friday 17 Feb

Another visit this morning to one of SWASCO's water plants. But this time a solar powered one that supplies water to Chisekeshi, which is a peri-urban area about an hour's drive from Monze. Although quite basic in design, the solar powered plant appears functional. Although it clearly doesn't operate when it's cloudy and when there are 3 cloudy in a row the area can go without water - no "back-up" batteries / storage.

In this particular area the local community get their water from a number of "water kiosks" that have been built. Very simplistically these are manned water pumps where people have to pay for their water once they've filled their containers up. In some areas people pay in advance for the water and a record is kept of how much water they take (via a record book) and in other areas people pay when they fill their containers up.  The process seems to work well and there is a definite sense of pride in the community and, so I'm told, very little sickness these days. Prior to the water being supplied by SWASCO water was collected from shallow wells within the local community. Although SWASCO believe the supply is adequate for the area at the moment, the community would like to see more water kiosks being installed and a larger storage tank installed at the water plant to minimise the risk of having no water on "cloudy" days. During the rainy season - November to April - people collect rain water from their roofs etc to use on their crops etc - rain water harvesting at its best!

Unfortunately the community we visited in the afternoon didn't give me the same sense of pride. The area we visited, Muzoka, is an urban informal settlement, that hasn't had any intervention - yet.  On arrival in Muzoka we went to what was a little bit like a public meeting would be at home. There were representatives from Monze District Council, Southern Water and WaterAid Zambia. The meeting had been called as part of the first stage of assessment by Monze DC etc so they could start to understand the issues the people had, how much knowledge they had about the importance of sanitation and the link between dirty water and various illnesses. Everyone seemed to just want "someone" to give the community several water points. There seemed to be very little understanding of the need for education and no overall community sense of ownership. What really brought this home to me was that about 500m away from where the meeting was held there was a broken water pump. Apparently this pump, which was in a very central position, was installed by a charity about 6 years ago.

However there was no evidence of the community "owning" the pump - no water community set up, no one to regularly maintain the pump etc etc  and so it got broken, and remains broken. This is such a shame, and a shocking waste of resources.  Unfortunately for many of the  people living in this area this broken pump means they use dirty water from a very shallow "well" at the side of the main road and railway track - which at the time of our visit had a film of diesel on the top of it!

Once again our visits today have demonstrated to me now important the overall education and awareness is, and of getting community buy-in - simple!

Southern Water, but not as we know it - Thursday 16 Feb

Actually this isn't strictly true, we aren't visiting Southern Water (as in the English water company) but Southern Water and Sewerage Company (commonly known as SWASCO) which, as the name suggests, is the water and sewerage company in the Southern Province of Zambia. They are also one of WaterAid's partners.

One of the small water "plants" that SWASCO operate is close to the town of Batoka. Whilst the plant itself is very basic, the chlorine dosing system operates in a similar way to back home - although there are clearly very different rules and regulations in Zambia.

Over the next couple of hours we learnt how the local community receives it's water supply - either via a meter or not, how they have social tariffs to help those who can't pay and how most people who don't currently have a meter don't want one.  A lady called Justina Hambiu explained that before SWASCO had installed the water supply she had to walk over 5km every day in order to get water for her family and that they were sometimes sick because of the water. Having piped water to her house and learning about the importance of sanitation has made such a difference to both her and her family.

Later that afternoon we travelled to the village of Silimi which is in the very early stages of receiving help from WaterAid and another of its partners - DAPP (Development aid for people to people). This village was a wonderful example of a community helping themselves - as soon as they became aware that they could be eligible for a water supply (a pump) they "went all out to get one". Setting up a number of local committees that would oversee its construction and ongoing operation and maintenance, provide all the villagers with all the education and information they needed so that the pump was used correctly. And of course making sure that each household build a new latrine - which is essential if the health problems the village used to suffer are eradicated. 

Unfortunately not all the villagers had managed to complete their latrine and so - guess what - I spent the next few hours "helping" to put the finishing touches to a brand new, brick surrounded pit latrine - which was pretty deep! I dug, laid bricks, plastered, poured concrete and back filled  - and then finally we had the finished article, almost! However a local frog had somehow managed to get into the pit and no-one would go in to be him out (I probably could have got down into the pit, taking a bit of earth with me, but there is no way I would have been able to get out). And so the lid went on with the frog intact. 

Both the areas visited today had undoubtedly benefited from intervention by WaterAid and it's partners - with both the installation of physical things and an education programme about the benefits of clean water and sanitation. However I'm not sure the frog would agree though...

Chiyoobola School - Wednesday 15 Feb

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...

A Day in the Life of... Tuesday 14 Feb

Today we're heading off to Haboombe village in the Moomba ward. It's a very remote village and will take us some 3 hours to get there, so it's a very early start  - out the door at 4:30.... The main road out of Monze soon disappeared to what is pretty much a dirt track and then the dirt track disappeared.... But the 4x4s kept on rolling - up cliff sides (well hills really but they felt like cliffs at the time) and we even crossed a river (getting up the river bank at the other side was nothing short of a miracle) - people pay good money back for home for this kind of "off road" experience. But at least it wasn't snowing!

Never have I experienced such a warm welcome from a community as we had that morning from the people of Haboombe Village - the vice-head of the community welcomed us and "thanked God for our arrival and what we may bring". It was a very humbling moment for me, as what were we really bringing? Part of our welcome reception involved an amazing band - who played on home made instruments and had some of the most "in tune" voices I have ever heard (or maybe I was just captivated by the moment!). 

Meeting the "family" we were spending the day with was a little scary - it was like being back in the playground, wondering who was going to pick you for their team. But we were picked, Peter (from Veolia Water) and I, and were introduced to the family we were going to to spend the day with - Ellios Haboombe (yes, the same name as the village) and his wives, Kanema (his first wife) and Nellie Munesaka his second. There was a little confusion about how many people lived in his household but it seemed to be in the region of 12. Ellios told us he was born is 1926. Over the next few hours we collected fire wood with them, attempted to grind maize into flour (not easy using a giant pestle and mortar) and prepared pumpkin leaves for lunch. And then the all imported collecting of water in 25 litre plastic containers.

However luck was on our side and we didn't have the 3 hour walk (1 way) that they did for over the half the year, as we were in the rainy season! All we had to do was walk about half a mile to the local river - down hill  - phew. But then I realised that you had to carry the water back up the hill........Nellie was the main water gatherer for the household and would collect some 85 litres for them every day - so we had to help. But boy was it hard work - Nellie made it look so easy, collecting water from a little scoop hole by the river, pouring it into her container which, when it was full, she lifted on to her head - boldly walked across the river, climbed the river bank and then back to her home. All without spilling a drop - oh and she dropped her scarf but bet down and picked it up again, without spilling a drop! Needless to say I was not quite so smooth......

Talking to the family during the afternoon we learnt that their greatest wish was that "someone" would come along and create a bore hole and install hand pump for them which would give them access to safe, clean drinking water - something you can't argue with. Unfortunately no one had yet! Hopefully next year through the work of WaterAid and DAP (Development Aid for People to People) the village will get its wish. Unfortunately no definite decision has yet been made and so the village waits. The day with the Haboombe family came to an end all too quickly and it was time for us to leave. Nellie's parting words to me were "If money fell from heaven I'd use it for a hand pump - oh and a grinding machine for the maize flour". I left them thinking surely it can't take over a year to make this happen - there must be a quicker way....

Meeting the WaterAid Team in Zambia - Monday 13 Feb

Well the flight didn't disappoint and those 10 hours flew by - literally. And what fantastic news - the Zambian football team won the African cup yesterday. Unfortunately a crowd of 2 thousand strong supporters seem to think that the team are on our flight and have somehow cleared the perimeter fence and surrounded the plane. A great welcome to the county but not so good for the pilot who has had to cut the engines for safety reasons - will we ever be able to disembark I wonder?

A couple of hours later we've cleared customs and are heading to the WaterAid office in the centre of Lusaka. The Zambian WaterAid Team - lead by Paul - seem a fantastic group of people and we spend the next couple of hours learning about their structure and the great work they carry out. And then we're off down to Monze in the Southern Province - courtesy of some pretty nifty looking 4x4s.

A quick lunch stop followed by 3 hours of traveling sees us arrive in Monze and we go to check in at our hotel for the next 5 nights - The Golden Pillow Lodge. I hadn't been able to find out much about it before leaving home and although it doesn't look that interesting from the outside it's a pretty impressive hotel on the inside (my room is perfect - much better than I was expecting).  There's a bit of a mix up about when and where we are meeting the local District Commissioner but we finally do and spend some time with him learning about some of the problems Zambia and the local area in particular face. Hopefully we'll see some of these issues over the next few days.

The Bag is Now Packed -Sunday 12 Feb

Well the day has finally arrived and the bag is most definitely packed and I'm ready to go! The M4 for once is behaving itself and I've actually Arrived in Heathrow with a little time to spare - amazing. I can see some familiar faces over at Cafe Nero - our rendezvous point - so time for a quick coffee before boarding that long awaited flight to Lusaka (minus the glass of champagne on boarding though.....). 

Hopefully the next 10 hours will pass pretty quickly and we'll soon be landing in Zambia for the start of what I hope will be fantastic trip.

Guess where I’ll be in a week’s time?

Well in a week’s time hopefully I’ll be on a British Airways flight leaving Heathrow heading for Lusaka Airport in Zambia – subject to that good old British weather. Almost a third of flights out of Heathrow have been cancelled this weekend due to that white stuff – but it could be worse, remember Christmas and New Year of 2010/11…..

Hard to imagine that this time next week I’ll (hopefully) be experiencing temperatures of around 22°C – albeit Zambia will be in the middle of its rainy season – but as home is Wales, that shouldn’t cause too much of a problem. At least the rain should be warm rain!

We’ve also had a draft itinerary through for the trip – which, although it may change, seems full of potentially amazing experiences.

Date	Activities
Monday 13 Feb	Arrive in Lusaka WaterAid Zambia briefing Travel to Monze
Tuesday 14 Feb	Travel to Haboombe Village (Moomba ward) and spend the day with local families. This is a rural community that has had no intervention, the women and children spend their mornings collecting water from a nearby stream which is used for both domestic usage and animal watering
Wednesday 15 Feb	Spend the day in Chipembele ward – which is a rural community that has benefited from intervention – attaining 100% toilet coverage at household level in 2008. Opportunity to visit Chiyoobola School to see the toilets constructed and the benefits that have been realised from the support given. Spend time at Mavwali village which has benefited from a water point and all the households have put up toilets.
Thursday 16 Feb	Travel to Batoka – which is peri urban area that has benefited from the water utility installing water tanks and treatment house. Also visit Silmi in Hatontal ward, which is a village that is benefiting from early intervention – construction of household sanitation
Friday 17 Feb	Travel to Chisekeshi  - an urban area which has benefited from water and sanitation intervention. The village now has the benefit of a solar powered water supply. Move on to Mozoka – an urban settlement that hasn’t yet benefited from intervention.
Saturday 18 Feb	Travel back to Lusaka – 3 hours by road and then visit the Ngombe settlement which is a high density slum area in the capital city
Sunday 19 February	Debriefing with WaterAid Zambia Team
Monday 20 February	Return home