Day 2 - A rural community school and village

Our second day was spent in the rural Chipembele ward to the south-west of Monze.  In the morning we visited we visited Chiyoobola School and in the afternoon we visited the village of Mavwali.

In 2008 WaterAid implemented a project in partnership with Monze District Council to install a water point, toilets and hand washing facilities at Chiyoobola School.  Around 900 pupils ranging in age from six to 15 years old attend the school.

One of the school toilets

A large group of children and teachers greeted us at the school.  Formal introductions were made, the Zambian national anthem was sung and the children read a number of short poems inspired by the hygiene education they have received.

We were told that since the water point, toilets and hand washing facilities were installed the instances of diarrhoea and other water borne diseases (such as cholera and dysentery) amongst the children have been virtually eradicated.

Another benefit is the increased attendance of girls once they reach maturity.  Before the toilets were installed, girls would often miss school, however they can now take a bath in safety while they are at school.

Groups of children are selected to collect water from the water point on a daily basis and bring it to fill up the tanks that feed the hand washing facilities.  They were all aware of the reasons for using the toilets and washing their hands afterwards.  Children have been able to take home the hygiene messages to pass onto their parents and other family members.

Later in the morning a VIP visited the school - His Royal Highness Chief Ufwenuka is in charge of the local area.  Formal introductions are regarded very seriously and we were all briefed in advance on how we should greet him.  We had to kneel in front of him, clap five times and then shake hands, while looking humble!
 After lunch the pupils entertained us by reading some more poems and then singing and dancing.  Although nowhere near as good as the children, our group of supporters did join in with the dancing when asked - much to everyones amusement!

We arrived at the village of Mavwali (with HRH Chief Ufwenuka accompanying us), to yet another big welcome with singing and dancing.  There are 32 households and a population of 365 in the village.  WaterAid worked with its partners to install a water point for the village and toilets for every household.

A map showing the location of toilets in the village

The head man of the village explained how WaterAid had told them why so many people were ill or had died, but initially they did not believe them.  After a while they began to accept the messages they were being told and agreed to build some latrines - WaterAid even provided the cement to help them do this.  Since they have had toilets they aren't ill so often and don't need to visit the hospital so often.  This example reinforces the fact that the 'soft' sensitisation and education process is so important and that it isn't a case of simply providing the 'hard' infrastructure only.

There are two committees within the village - one to maintain the water point (they have been trained to be able to maintain the water pump and fix it if necessary) and one to provide the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Education (WASHE).

Angelina with her 'tippy tap'
hand washing station

The villagers are still ambitious and were expressing their desire for more water points.  Because the households are quite widespread they still have to walk quite a way to get their water supply and in the rainy season a stream can prevent some households from reaching the existing water point.

At the moment each family grows enough crops for themselves.  If they had better access to water they may be able to grow more crops and sell any excess so that they can fund their children's education.

The picture on the left shows Angelina with her 'tippy tap' which is located just outside her latrine.  They use ash as a cleansing agent and have a foot pedal to tip up a water container.  There is a plant beneath which will only grow if the tap is being used on a regular basis - a simple way of checking whether or not people are washing their hands after going to the toilet!