Water, the source of life

Introduction Assessment of needs Implementing the project   Introduction After several years of working with communities developing water and sanitation systems in Uvira, South Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire) Australian Red Cross (ARC) was forced to withdraw due to armed conflict. Assessment of needs When it was safe to return the assessment team, surveys revealed that most of the population of 120,000 did not have access to safe water and sanitation due to prolonged drought and damage to the existing infrastructure caused during the armed conflict. Many people were using contaminated water, which caused outbreaks of water-related disease such as cholera, typhoid, diarrhoea, stomach worms and giardia, which in turn lead to malnutrition and the deaths of many young children. Women and children had to walk up to 15 kilometres a day for water leaving little time for attending school, growing food or earning an income. Development of community services such as new hospitals and schools were limited without dependable water and sanitation systems. The ARC successfully applied to the Australian Government's overseas aid program for a grant of $557,000 to work on the construction and repair of water wells. This was supplemented by fundraising in Australia The story of Mikiesse Mikiesse is a 7-year-old from Uvira. He has a difficult choice about collecting water for his household's use. Does he collect water from the stream polluted with animal and human waste and risk contracting life-threatening diseases such as cholera, typhoid, bilharzia or stomach worms? Does he take all day to collect safe water from a spring seven kilometres away and carry the heavy load home but miss out on school? Implementing the project The ARC sent a team of delegates with skills in engineering, water and sanitation and community health nursing to Uvira. Their brief was to assist in improving water supply and sanitation for the population, and ensure ongoing sustainability of the infrastructure and practices. This was to be done by: Improving access to safe water Construction of 100 new shallow wells with hand pumps Repairs to established pumps Sealing the area around pumps to limit contamination of the groundwater. Rehabilitation and protection of spring water catchments Consulting with the community to decide the location of wells so that the time taken for carrying water does not prevent women working or children attending school. Planning for future Training local plumbers to ensure the new wells are kept in good working order Teaching the community how to repair and protect wells from contamination Developing local community-based water management boards, which include women, and plan for the expense of repairs Education for health improvements Using traditional forms of communication, such as, drama, song and story telling, to entertain and educate about water use, hygiene and sanitation so as to change behaviours. Progress report Further conflict and a massive volcano in early 2002 have affected water supply and sanitation in DRC since the project was concluded. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has focused on supplying chemicals and essential spare parts to help ensure safe drinking water for the population of Kinshasa, the capital of DRC and ten other large towns, including Uvira, in the east of the country.

Mikiessie sets off on his 7 kilometre walk to collect water for his family.