CORPSAFRICA
  • Home
  • About
    • About us >
      • The Model
      • Human-Centered Design
      • Impact
      • Development Partners
      • Junior CorpsAfrica
    • Team >
      • Staff
      • Board of Directors
      • Advisory Council
    • Work With Us
    • Press
    • Videos
    • Testimonials
    • Contact us
  • Countries
    • Morocco
    • Senegal
    • Malawi
    • Rwanda
  • Volunteers
    • Meet the Volunteers >
      • Morocco Volunteers >
        • Group 1 Morocco
        • Group 2 Morocco
        • Group 3 Morocco
        • Group 4 Morocco
        • Group 5 Morocco
        • Group 6 Morocco
      • Malawi Volunteers >
        • Group 1 Malawi
        • Group 2 Malawi
        • Group 3 Malawi
        • Group 4 Malawi
        • Group 5 Malawi
      • Senegal Volunteers >
        • Group 1 Senegal
        • Group 2 Senegal
        • Group 3 Senegal
        • Group 4 Senegal
        • Group 5 Senegal
      • Rwanda Volunteers >
        • Group 1 Rwanda
        • Group 2 Rwanda
        • Group 3 Rwanda
    • Podcast - "My CorpsAfrica Story"
    • Featured Projects >
      • Dzaleka Basketball Court
      • Kitchen Gardens
      • Coronavirus Response
    • Featured Volunteers
    • Alumni Association
    • Apply
  • Events
    • Events >
      • PROJECTing Resilience
    • All Country Conference
  • Blog
  • Donate
    • Donate to CorpsAfrica
    • #GivingTuesday
    • Pay It Forward Campaign
    • Holbrooke Campaign
    • Corporate Council for CorpsAfrica
    • Planned Giving
    • Amazon Smile
    • Volunteer Photo Store

The Borehole That Almost Made a Big Girl Cry

1/23/2018

0 Comments

 
Written by CorpsAfrica/Malawi Volunteer Ruth Chamangwana

Never in my life did I imagine that I would become a pro at carrying a bucket on my head, but I decided to embrace drawing water from the borehole as part of my physical exercise and I must say I enjoy it. The borehole is approximately five minutes away from my house, however this is not the case with most households. My community has about four functioning boreholes, but the one that is close to my house produces the tastiest water of them all. The water actually tastes like store bought bottled water. I was AMAZED. The other three boreholes produce water so salty that it leaves you looking all ashy after a bath.

All was rosy until a week ago when the community’s favorite borehole was damaged. I was told that in such circumstances, people buy water from the nearest household with a tap. A bucket of water costs K30 and a big basin costs K50. Right when I decided to go buy water from the tap, the electricity had gone out, hence no tap water. I almost cried. The only option was to draw water from the salty borehole, so I did. When I tried to drink the water I couldn’t swallow the first sip. The water was just too salty.

In the evening and the electricity was back on, I managed to buy some water at the taps. As I collected my water, I watched with sadness as some community members made their way to the lake to draw water. The fact that the lake is used to wash clothes and dishes makes the water seem unhygienic for consumption. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t make me sad, but the fact that my community members would rather drink dirty water from the lake than consume the salty water from the boreholes is a problem.

The second day without our dear borehole was as slow as the first day. I collected my bucket and proceeded to buy water. I was so shocked to see the type of water that fell into my bucket. I couldn’t believe it. It was so dirty that I couldn’t bring myself to drink it. One lady told me that once it rains the lake becomes dirty, and since the water from the taps is pumped directly from the lake, the tap produces dirty water. The same lady told me that it was a good thing that the borehole got broken so that I could see the problems my community members go through to access quality water.

To sum it all up, the lack of safe drinking water is responsible for the rise in diarrhea cases in my community. There is a need to engage the people in sensitization campaigns where they are taught what “safe” drinking water is, and how to prevent waterborne diseases. It is also clear that new water sources such as boreholes (with tasty water) are needed since there is such a lack of good water currently.
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Support
    Welcome
    ​to the CorpsAfrica Volunteer Blog! 
    Get an inside look at the experiences of CorpsAfrica Volunteers in the field.

    Archives

    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    August 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016

    RSS Feed

Picture