The gift of clean, running water means better health, hygiene and quality of life for the precious people who live in partner communities in Ingwavuma, South Africa.
Thank you for helping bring the gift of clean, safe water
A persistent drought had left Ingwavuma dry. With no water supply, families struggled to access clean and safe water for drinking and household use. Before, they collected water from the river, which meant a long walk and sharing the water that animals drink.
“We were tired of drinking water from the same dam as our domesticated animals. We are now drinking clean water and our health clinic reports that the number of people being treated for running stomach has reduced.” Chief Nduna Mpontshane.
“We never knew this day would come; having a borehole in our community. We prayed that God would help us with clean water and many organisations promised to help us but never did. We walked a long way to fetch water from the river, down the mountain. It was particularly difficult for older people. Now we have water on our doorstep.”
Nkanini Community leader, Pastor Nkomo
“Today, we are witnesses of the miracle of God. Water is life and God has brought back life in our community. We prayed for water and many years passed without a proper supply. God has answered our prayers. We have two large farms with water pumped from the river and effective irrigation. The farms grow corn and vegetables, which are consumed by the farmers’ families, provided to the sick and frail and the surplus is sold for a profit.”
Bishop Ndlazi
Isibani Sethemba site
We found an existing borehole which had a low yield and was dry some of the year, so E3 paid for it to be rejuvenated. It now supplies water to the Isibani Sethemba offices, local homes and community plant nursery. “Our borehole has improved both in the quantity and quality of the water. Previously the pump could hardly fill up a tank, but now the output has significantly increased so we can water our plant nursery and provide water to a few families around us.” Kenneth Macheri
Pastors’ garden
A group of pastors grow vegetables together to earn a sustainable income. They pump water from a river to irrigate the crops. The best way to improve their situation was to replace their worn-out diesel-guzzling pump, with a newer electric pump, so they can irrigate their large vegetable garden more efficiently. We also bought a water tank to store water, so they do not have issues during power outages. We are also installing water tanks for households nearby.
Nkanini borehole
We were able to install a successful borehole and electric pump in this community so residents can easily access drinking water on their doorstep. It was installed on Friday 25 November and the community members were there throughout the day. They even helped with some of the work, including digging. They were very happy and are so grateful. We will visit Nkanini and share videos on social media in the new year!
Bhekhindoda
The best solution here was to buy 5,000 litre JoJo tanks. Six households share a tank and save a small amount of money each week to buy drinking water – a tanker visits the communities once a month to refill. We trialed with a few tanks and the pilot went very well so we are now buying more tanks for this community. Unfortunately, in this area, it is not possible to install a successful borehole because of the geohydrology.
The gift of clean water is improving health and hygiene and quality of life. The pastors who grow vegetables to generate an income to provide for their families, have a more plentiful supply of water to irrigate the crops and a bigger profit margin because the new pump is more efficient to run. Thank you for your support.