This project has been completed under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Jason Jones. To read about the beginning of the project, CLICK HERE.
Jason reports:
A big thank you once again for your Water Charity’s support with our borehole project here in Khula Village, Mtubatuba, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. The project was a big success.
Scope of Project:
The scope of this project included the installation of a public-use borehole to supply clean water to residents in and around Khula Village, a community of about 10,000 people on the eastern side of Kwa-Zulu-Natal, South Africa. Additional follow-on health workshops were completed in order to educate the community about (1) the harmful effects of drinking dirty water, (2) the availability of the new borehole for public use and (3) proper sanitation and hygiene techniques to reduce the spread of illness. A separate workshop was also done to provide the information in an instructor format to the community care givers that live and work in our village for them to forward on to the patients that they care for.How the Work Progressed Through Each Stage:
The first stage of the project was the installation of the borehole. We reached an agreement with a local contractor to complete the work and to provide ongoing maintenance for the borehole as needed. The work to construct the borehole began mid-August, 2016 and was completed a month later. First the hole was dug; then the piping, an electric pump, and other materials were put in place; then the plumbing connections were made to a 5,000-liter on-site storage tank. From the tank, we connected multiple sinks, two toilets and a public tap for outflow.After finalizing the borehole, we proceeded to host three workshops at our organization’s location to introduce the new borehole to the public and to provide practical water and sanitation & hygiene advice to help avoid the spread of illness in the village. After the last workshop, we hosted a Fun Day with lots of activities for the local children to celebrate.
The End Result:
The project was very successful. The borehole is 11-meters deep, approximately five meters of which is submerged inside the local water table. Furthermore, the water coming from the borehole is flowing to all necessary outlets at the organization, including a tap that the public is able to utilize any day of the week Monday – Friday from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm.The workshops were also successful with about 110 community members total in attendance. Among the topics discussed at the workshops were proper hand washing techniques, common health problems from drinking unclean water, dental hygiene instruction with toothbrush & toothpaste giveaways, lessons on minimizing the spread of germs, and a training of trainer session for the community care givers. A nurse came to the training of trainer session to teach the care givers while a dentist came to the second workshop to provide instruction and on-site dental examinations.
We are grateful to Jason for completing this excellent project.
