Theresa Chichaya is a widow who lives in a small
town in Zimbabwe and owns a 5-acre piece of land on which she
grows corn, vegetables and fruits.
More importantly, she houses 52 adults and
children who make up several low-income families who sought
accommodation on her land. Some are "lucky" enough to have jobs
at nearby farms but cannot afford food even with their monthly
wages.
Water is an essential ingredient in the daily
survival of these individuals and Mrs. Chichaya has always had a
well on her land to supplement this need. Running water had been
available in abundance in the neighborhood before the economic
downturn in Zimbabwe but under the tough economic circumstances
of the last few years, it became an even more scarce necessity
on this land.
Frequent power outages rendered the dream of
running water just that, a dream. The well they could turn to
had become harder to reach manually with bucket pulleys since
the water was far too deep because of previous droughts.
An electric pump powerful enough to draw the
water from the well was very sorely needed but was impossible for
Mrs. Chichaya and these ordinary folks to afford when all they were
trying to do was feed their families at least once or twice a day at
most.
LifeNets learnt of this need and provided not only
an electric pump for the well, but also a reservoir tank to store
water for the many dark days of power outages when the pump would
not be functioning. These folks were thirsty, and LifeNets gave them
something to drink. At least 53 people's lives have been improved.
That means a lot to me because Mrs. Chichaya is my mother.
