Medair has concluded its humanitarian activities in Zimbabwe after four-and-a-half years of delivering major improvements to the country’s water infrastructure.
In 2008-09, Zimbabwe suffered one of Africa’s deadliest cholera outbreaks in 15 years, killing more than 4,000 people and exposing the deteriorating water infrastructure in urban areas and the complete scarcity of safe water in some rural communities.
Medair launched a relief programme in September 2009 that today is benefiting hundreds of thousands of Zimbabwe’s most vulnerable and helping prevent the spread of waterborne disease. In four years, we improved safe water access in multiple rural and urban settings while providing training to improve local capacity in maintaining the water infrastructure.
“I truly believe that Medair has made a major impact in the districts we worked,” said Hylton Cannon, Medair Country Director from 2009-2014. “There is now safe water for schools, clinics, and communities that was lacking before we started our projects. Our Participatory Health and Hygiene Education training also made a major impact in these areas.”
Medair’s first project took place in the urban centre of Marondera, where deteriorating infrastructure had forced residents to gather unsafe water from river beds, shallow wells, and a quarry. In March 2010, Medair started making improvements to Marondera's water treatment and distribution system, getting the water flowing from the taps for 120,000 residents of the city. We assisted with the rehabilitation of key infrastructure at pumping and booster stations, working with local sub-contractors and providing equipment and expertise to the project.
“You came at the right time when all the dilapidated equipment had nearly collapsed,” said Shepherd Shingirai, water supply superintendent.
In rural Gokwe North, Medair learned that cholera had claimed many lives in the communities. In response, Medair provided 42 hand-dug wells, 25 rehabilitated wells, and rainwater harvesting systems for 14 schools. In addition, we trained 180 health and hygiene promoters who formed WASH clubs in their own villages to promote proper hygiene.
“There is a notable reduction of diseases in the area since the water points were rehabilitated,” said Nurse Madzikanda.
Medair worked with the Zimbabwe Water Authority in urban Gokwe town to supply and install infrastructure and rehabilitate the town’s water distribution system. We constructed three deep boreholes, rehabilitated four existing ones, and installed pumps, motors and other equipment. By the end of the project, the impact we made was far greater than expected, and our team received positive feedback from the Zimbabwean Prime Minister himself.
In drought-prone Matebeleland South, rural schools and health clinics lacked access to water, impacting attendance and endangering the health of the population. Medair installed rainwater harvesting systems in 16 schools and 14 clinics and we rehabilitated 10 wells. “The assistance from Medair came at a time of severe water shortages and it was of great relief to the school kids,” said Headmaster Mpofu at Sangulube Primary. “It has greatly improved the children’s health especially because we can now use clean rainwater from the tanks.”
In Zimbabwe’s second largest city, Bulawayo, a severe water shortage had heightened the risk of another cholera outbreak. In 2013, Medair formed a highly praised consortium with World Vision Zimbabwe and the Dabane Trust that made massive improvements to water and sanitation access in Bulawayo’s most at-risk neighbourhoods. The consortium drilled and repaired high-yield boreholes, rehabilitated the water treatment plant, installed reserve water storage tanks, improved sanitation facilities, and provided widespread health and hygiene promotion.
This project was supported by UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). “Medair started an expanded programme of works to spend this money that they did very well and effectively and I would willingly use the same team again for future works,” said Colin Benham, Infrastructure Adviser at DFID.
“Urban WASH is unique to Medair,” said Philip Walker, Medair Head of Country Programme. “Our teams deal with the refurbishment of large-scale hardware of small city water plants in order to bring water plants up to full capacity. We address problems relating to supply, storage, and quality, which can then help the maximum number of beneficiaries.”
“Leaving Zimbabwe is never easy,” Phillip added. “This is the second time Medair has worked here; the country and its people truly have a hold of our hearts. Yet we leave confident that—thanks to our generous supporters and the sheer dedication and effort of our staff—we have made an immense and lasting contribution to Zimbabwe, improving the lives of some of the most impoverished and vulnerable people in the country.”
Medair’s Zimbabwe programme was supported by US Agency for International Development, UK Department for International Development, EC Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, and private donors.