Staff Reporter
NOT less than 53 000 Zimbabwean citizens have benefited from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) driven Community Water Supply, Sanitation, Hygiene, and Natural Resources Management project (C-WASH).
The project is being Implemented by Development Aid from People to People (DAPP) Zimbabwe and C-WASH worked with communities to provide sustainable access to clean and safe drinking water sources and improved sanitation facilities.
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Speaking during the celebrations at Sherukuru Secondary School in Mutasa District, USAID/Zimabwe Acting Deputy Mission Director Julie Nenon said, “USAID stands with the people of Zimbabwe to enable families to live healthier and more resilient lives. The successes we celebrate today have been made possible by the unity and hard work of the men, women, youth, and leaders in these communities.”
C-WASH is a USAID-funded activity to improve the health and nutrition status of Zimbabweans by addressing water, sanitation, and hygiene challenges.
Through C-WASH, USAID and DAPP assisted communities to rehabilitate 237 community boreholes, establish 90 water pumps, construct 350 cattle drinking troughs, and conduct water quality testing on 327 boreholes and wells. The project supported the construction of 20 latrines at 20 schools using a new design that accounts for the needs of young girls and boys and people with disabilities.
C-WASH also supported 1,120 families to build latrines at their homesteads. In total, 53,000 Zimbabweans now have access to clean water and sanitation facilities. C-WASH was implemented from 2015 to 2017 in four districts: Chimanimani, Chipinge, Mutasa, and Nyanga.
DAPP Zimbabwe Chairman Ib Hansen stated: “Clean water and sanitation are essential for human health and nutrition, food security, and economic growth. We are proud to work in partnership with these communities to improve sanitation and hygiene infrastructure in a way that will be sustainable over the long term.”
C-WASH complemented USAID’s Feed the Future activities in the region, which aim to reduce rural poverty and improve food security through increased agricultural productivity and linking farmers to markets. Together, these efforts are building a healthier, more productive Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, the American people, through USAID, have contributed over $3 billion in assistance to Zimbabwe. Current projects include initiatives to increase food security, support economic resilience, improve health systems and services, and promote a more democratic system of governance.