This is crucial for a healthy community. In the early days, the villagers had little access to clean water. Untreated water was freely drunk, with consequent high rates of water-borne diseases, particularly amongst children.
In 1984 Michael Carey raised funds for the first hand-operated pump in the village. This is situated next to the football pitch right in the middle of the village and is still in use today.
This was soon followed by the installation of 30 more wells, thanks to Danida, the Danish aid agency. These are spread around the village so that the villagers don’t have to travel far to fetch water. Since those days many more wells have been dug as the village has grown, including a ring well at the secondary school. Water from these wells still needs to be boiled before drinking. Villagers have been trained to maintain and repair the wells.
During the past year there has been a major breakthrough – electricity has reached the village via the national grid. Electrically operated water purifying units are now available at a reasonable cost. These units can purify the well water easily.
The Luhimba Project 