Success history- WASH CHIURE PROJECT

Itaia Gimo is a female farmer born and raised in Namige, anorthern Mozambican villagewith 600 inhabitants. She is married and has three children,one girl and two boys. Through theChiure WASH project, the inhabitants in Namige have learned about the health challenges related to open defecation. As a result, they have been motivated to construct household latrines as a means to assure that Namige becomes free from open defecation.

Itaia and the other community members have also learned the importanceofsanitation and hygiene. Tippy Taps have been constructed within the village. Tippy Tap is a simple mechanismwhich allows theuserto wash both hands under running water. Itaia says “we have learned how to wash hands in a way that prevents disease transmission. We have also learned how to adequately use and maintain latrines. When a latrine collapses (which is common, especially during the rainy season), we re-build it. Now there is no one in the village who does not have a latrine”.

As a result of the project,community membersalso have access to adequate water. Itaia explains that “before the project, we drank water from the river and unprotected wells. But now, the new water points are covered and the water is clean”. The photos below show where Itaia and other community members fetched water before and where they fetch water today. To assure continued functionality of the water point, water users pay 10 meticais (USD 0.32[1]) per monthperhousehold. The money is managed by anappointed community group,which assures maintenance and reparation of the water point.

Richacho with milky looking water; This is where community members in Namige used to fetch water before the project / Water point installed by the Bechgaard project, providing cleaner and safer water to Namige’s inhabitants.

Itaia believes thatCARE´s WASH Chiureproject, which ended in October 2013, has lead to a significant change for her and the other community members. Now, womenin Namige have time to wash clothes and fetch new drinking water every day. In the past, womenwould wait for the household to completely finishthe water deposits before returning to the river for new water. Itaia explains, “We have sufficient water. As you can see, I am washing clothes now at my house. This would not have been possible before. I used to bringthe clothes to the river to wash them there since it was too far to bring back sufficient water both for drinking, bathing and washing clothes”.

Not only has project enhanced the quantity of water, but the quality of drinking water has also improved. Itaia says the village had many cases of cholera before the project but disease outbreak is less common now.

“The project has changed many things in my life and in the community in general” Itaia declares. “Now we have more time available for other activities such as working in the fields. We have been able to increase the area we cultivate.We even have time to rest. The walls around our latrines are no longer made of straw since water allows us to produce adobeto build our latrines. With sufficient water in the village to produce adobe, we are also able to build bigger sturdierhouses”.

Itaia washing clothes at the water point constructed by the project.

[1] According to the exchange rate at as of 31st of March 2014.