Florence Mkumba

Florence is 25 from the Nkhotakota district of Malawi. There are 9 people in her household; 2 adults, 4 boys and 3 girls.The woman and girls are responsible for gathering water for the household. They were getting water from an unprotected well using a rope and bucket system.

“It is not easy especially for girls to use a bucket and get water from below 6m. It is quite strenuous and we do it because we have no alternative. The other major problem is that sometimes, the rope can get cut resulting in little pieces of rope and the bucket falling in the well. This resulted in an unhealthy situation where the rope can rot in the water and we will drink the same water.”

“We used to get our water from the same source where the Elephant Pump has been installed. But the pump has made a great difference in our lives. Apart from drinking clean water, the burden of lifting a bucket full of water from the well is history. At any point in time, we can get water for our household use. Previously, we used to ration water but these days, things have improved greatly,”

“I wake up every day at 5 am to draw water and clean around the house and prepare breakfast for my family. When my children are leaving for school, I leave for the garden. I come back home around 11am to draw water and prepare lunch. At around 3pm, I draw water again for bathing and also for preparation of the evening meal. With the Elephant Pump, my life has changed in a way that I no longer dread the getting water chore as it is easier to pump water and we are now sharing the responsibility of getting water with my sons as well.”

“Pump Aid is a good organisation. I have never dreamt in my life that there can be a solution to simply drawing water. I am most grateful to the organisation and the people that supported the pump.”