In April 2017, we traveled to Mazvihwa, Zimbabwe, for Pump it Up’s Setup and Implementation. 

 

During our 2 week stay, we visited local community gardens and met with many of their members. The women talked with us about their daily struggles, and shared stories of the burdens women in today’s Zimbabwe deal with. This is why it was wonderful to see the joy and hope the pumps brought to these women. Everywhere we went, there were songs and dances praising the pump project. 

 

These women are thankful for being able to pump water directly from the rivers now, not needing to carry heavy buckets of water uphill on their head, not being scared of the crocodiles in the river. We talked with many elder women who were thrilled to be able to start growing vegetable again, now that they are able to water their plots. Here is what they say in their own words:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During our  2 weeks Setup and Implementation trip we

 

• Purchased 10 x water pump systems, 4 x 1,500 L water tanks, and 2 x family drip irrigation kits (donation from Netafim).

• Installed a full system (pump, tank, and drip) in Rujeko Garden.

• Tested this full system’s efficiency.

• Trained the local women who will now be able to continue to install the rest of the systems by themselves.

• Trained two project managers - Ms. MaiHove and Ms. Bonai. The project managers will distribute and install the pump systems and teach members how to use and maintain the pumps. MaiHove and Bonai will also serve as our contact persons and will monitor the project as they progress. This information is vital for the planning of the next phase of the project.

• Organized a 2-day workshop on Women’s Saving Clubs. Ms. Buhle Ndlovu, an experienced and caring instructor from the Community Foundation for the Western Region of Zimbabwe came to the village and facilitated a workshop for 25 women. With saving clubs, the women will raise that will be used as insurance for the pumps. More importantly, for most women, this was the first introduction to the concept of money saving for personal use and for economic growth.

• Analyzed weather data with community members. Please read the story about this which was posted on the USAID – AGRILINK website.