Until recently, many people in the Mfuwe region of Zambia did not have access to clean water. Instead, they had to carry heavy buckets down to the river, avoiding crocodile and hippo attacks in the process. And, if the river was dry, they had to dig deep under the sand to find any sort of water.
In the western world, we often take clean, readily accessible water for granted. We don’t realize how lucky we are.
In the United States, the Flint Water Crisis briefly reminded us of the necessity of clean water when citizens were required to ration bottled water. But, in other parts of the world, rationing water is an everyday occurrence, and clean water is often hard and time-consuming to attain.
According to UNICEF, women around the world spend 200 million hours a day collecting water. On top of that, 1 in 9 people worldwide do not have access to clean and safe drinking water, and 3.4 million people (mostly children) die every year from water-related diseases. In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, 319 million people are without access to clean water.
Yet, despite these dismal numbers, places such as Mfuwe are providing hope. Here, several organizations are chipping in to help the local people acquire clean, safe water; and they’re making a huge difference.
First and foremost is the Bushcamp Company, which operates bushcamps and runs safaris throughout the South Luangwa Valley. With their organization Charity Begins at Home, the Bushcamp Company began the Commit to Clean Water project in 2014. This project involves drilling deep boreholes in villages around Mfuwe and providing them with central pumps.
Since the project began, the Bushcamp Company and its partners have created 40 boreholes throughout Mfuwe. Costing $7000 a piece, these boreholes have been life-changing for the people of Mfuwe and have been funded by various donors and non-profits.
Dazzle Africa is one of these non-profits, and in 2016, they raised money to create two boreholes in Mfuwe. These two boreholes alone provide clean, safe water to over 600 families in the region.
“Water trickles, ripples, waves, & flows and bore holes are the gifts that keep on giving and a need that everyone can understand,” says Stacy James, executive director of Dazzle Africa. “Dazzle Africa is proud to participate in the Clean Water Project with the Bushcamp Company in Mfuwe, Zambia.”
If you would like to donate to either of these organizations and help them fund more borehole projects in Zambia, please click here for the Bushcamp Company and here for Dazzle Africa.
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