Volume 43 Number 5
World Spotlight: Well and Sanitation Projects Offer Lifeline for Malawi
Always a local problem
A few kilometers away, the local women of Kuntaja and Kunthembwe have to walk long distances to collect safe water; however, not everyone does. Some villagers get their water from shallow wells, streams and ponds—all of which are susceptible to pollution from animals, human industry and runoff. Only 10 percent of the people in Kuntaja and Kunthembwe have access to latrines. And so—with inadequate water supply and minimal sanitation—the two communities have suffered from repeated cholera outbreaks.
In the rural area of Phalombe, water was ranked as one of the greatest needs for community advancement. About 75 percent of the people in the village of Mkhumba wash clothes and water animals in the same stream that supplies their water for cooking and drinking. The rest of the village draws water from a borehole, but there's constant cross-contamination between those who drink well water and those who drink from the stream. Water-related diseases are prevalent, and most children under the age of five have stomach parasites.
The problems are the same throughout Malawi, which is one of the poorest countries in Africa. Ninety percent of the people live in rural areas, where one or two wells serve as many as 500 households.
As in most African countries, water is the responsibility of women and children. Although men take responsibility for borehole design and construction, they're rarely involved with getting water as a domestic chore. Several Malawi government ministries are working to increase men’s participation in all areas concerning water and women’s participation in community development. In cooperation with government priorities, Water For People’s Malawi Country Program works to ensure women are involved in all steps of decision making, design and construction of local projects.
In much of Malawi, borehole drilling is the best option because of the flat topography of the Great Rift Valley and the central plateaus. The Malawi Ministry of Water and Sanitation recommends the Afridev pump because it’s locally made, easily maintained and the cost is low.
WFP’s country coordinator, Alfred Mhone, worked with an indigenous non-governmental organization (NGO), Freshwater Project, on the technical study to identify the communities’ needs and the locations for the wells. Drilling began this fall in Kuntaja and Kunthembwe and pumps were being installed as well.
The second part of the project is to train five local community teams in safe water storage, oral rehydration therapy, hand washing and other hygiene practices. In turn, these teams will educate other members of their communities.
The Kuntaja-Kunthembwe project is the model for additional collaboration with the Freshwater Project. The budget for the project is $20,000 and will directly benefit 100 families, or 500 people.
Priority for sustainability
In Mkhumba, WFP is working with the Likulezi Community Cares Organization to drill three boreholes and install Afridev pumps. In addition to health education, a local committee will be trained to maintain the wells.
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SIDEBAR1: WFP, USEPA partners to help people in Africa
“This new effort is a natural fit with Water For People’s aim to help the urban poor,” said WFP Executive Director Paul Sobiech.
According to a 1996 United Nations Habitat II report, Africa’s urban population is expected to increase 30-to-52 percent within the next 25 years. This puts tremendous pressure on the water and wastewater sectors, already struggling with insufficient investment funds, inadequate management and operation experience, and lack of community and customer involvement.
The new program is working through local non-governmental organizations, professional associations, utilities, and government to build capacity in the water sector. The program is primarily focusing on water sector reform, dissemination of best practices for urban and semi-urban water supply improvement, establishment of distance learning and knowledge management capacity, and strengthening the long-term sustainability of water professional associations.
“We see this effort as an important part of the equation in helping improve the health of people in Africa, especially children,” said Stephanie Adrian, of the USEPA Office of International Activities.
“This is a great opportunity to build partnerships between the United States and African water specialists in the critical urban sector,” adds Ron Hoffer, of the agency’s Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
Included in this outreach program are the American Water Works Association, the Water Environment Federation and the International Water Association.
SIDEBAR2: Meet WFP’s man in Malawi
Hired in April 2000 as a country coordinator, Mhone reviews and translates technical proposals from WFP’s partner organizations before submitting them. He prepares and translates memoranda of agreement for approved projects and makes periodic site visits to ensure project funds are used effectively.
With extensive experience in community development, the Malawi native brings a wide network of contacts among non-governmental organizations and 10 years of experience in water, sanitation and hygiene training. As a public health advisor with the American Refugee Committee in Zomba, Malawi, Mhone provided training and education in basic health and hygiene to refugees, supervised chlorination of water containers and shallow wells and helped construct slab latrines for refugee housing. As a project manager for Concern Universal, he managed needs assessments, monitoring and evaluation for CU water and sanitation projects.
In addition, Mhone is a contributing author to numerous manuals and articles on public health, water and sanitation and is an accomplished public speaker on these topics.
Mhone’s credentials include a degree in public health from the University of Malawi, as well as diplomas in modern management from the College of Professional Management in the United Kingdom and in disaster management from the University of Natal in South Africa.
Fluent in English and two indigenous languages—Chichewa-Nyanja and Tumbuka—Mhone lives in Blantyre, Malawi’s largest city. In addition to his job for WFP, he continues to serve as a technical advisor to other private and public agencies.
WFP also employs country coordinators to handle on-site arrangements for its projects in Bolivia, Guatemala and Honduras.