Mvuramanzi Trust Zimbabwe
The Mvuramanzi Trust was established in 1993 as a non-profit, non-government organization to fill an identified gap in the national rural water supply and sanitation project. The government programme at that time was focussed on the provision of water using communal boreholes fitted with "bush pumps". During the period since 1994 Mvuramanzi Trust, like some other agencies shifted from primarily working on communal water points (usually bore wells fitted with hand pumps), to a focus on family water sources. Recently work has concentrated on easing the burden of pumping from family wells, through the development of low-cost pumps.
The fact that many families preferred to use unprotected wells near their homes rather than improved communal water points induced the Trust to develop a programme that would work with families to protect their wells from surface contamination. The programme became known as the Family Upgraded Well Programme. Since the projects inception in 1993 the Mvuramanzi Trust has assisted more than 33,000 families across Zimbabwe to protect their wells.
About three years ago the Trust identified the rope pump as a possible option for reducing labour burdens on farmers. The first trials conducted by Mvuramanzi Trust were in Marondera District. The families were delighted with the pump and could immediately see the advantages such as less time to carry water, the ability to pump and use more water and the ability to pump water into a tank and then use a hose pipe to irrigate their gardens.
Present policies of the Trust attempt to respond to the these new needs, especially the needs of a population severely affected by the impacts of high levels of HIV/Aids, are considered. Crucially these include the needs of rural households to improve food security and engage in
productive enterprise.
The rope pumps used are mainly produced at or near the site with local available materials. In numbers these are a few hundred. The activities include small gardening, drip irrigation and first of all income generating. The introduction of the rope pump is used as a tool itself to bring families and children together. Special attention is given to the problematic situation of the many orphan children, up to 30 and 50 % of the school children. The construction of the rope pump by the users themselves is part of this participation and organization strategy. The applied technological level is in this case rather low but perfectly responds to the needs at this level.
Contact person: Director Mvuramanzi Trust. David Proudfoot
E-mail: mvuraman@ecoweb.co.zw
A recent article presented at the Symposium "Water, Poverty and the Productive uses of Water at the Household Level" can be downloaded as part of the whole series of preprints (1.7 MegaBytes). On page 177: Tackling the Roots of Poverty: Changing An NGO's Watsan, Programme to Meet Productive Water Needs, Zimbabwe. By David Proudfoot.
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