Tariro Orphanage

‘Tariro’, the name of this orphanage and school in the Mutoko District of Zimbabwe means  ‘Hope’. The pump, which is in the middle of the school’s courtyard, brings clean water to the 16 orphans who live there permanently, and also to the 53 day pupils and the school’s staff. This one pump also serves the local community, which numbers around 18 households, totalling more than 100 people.

Before the pump was installed the children and local people relied on water from an open well within the school’s grounds. This involved heaving 10 litre Jerry Cans of water in and out of a 15m well using just a rope. The arduous process meant it took around five minutes to fill just one can.

As with all open wells, the water was dirty and there was a risk of catching cholera or other waterborne diseases. But at least there was water – when the dry season hit between October and November the well would dry out. This forced teachers, children and family members, mostly women, to walk more than 15 minutes to the nearest borehole in search of water along with hundreds of other people, meaning long queues.

But thanks to Pump Aid, these problems are now all in the past.

Mavis Chinduta, 19, who’s father died of cancer when she was six, is one of the day pupils at the small rural school. She lives with her mother but because she cannot afford to pay her daughter’s school fees, Mavis’ schooling is paid by the orphanage. Mavis, who is currently studying for her O-levels, explained what life was like at the school before the Elephant Pump.

She said: “Before the pump we got water from a well. It wasn’t that far away but it often ran dry. When that happened we would try another well about 15 minutes away, but that was often dry too, so we’d keep on looking.”

“When we didn’t have the pump it was difficult because we spent our spare time fetching water, but now we have time for playing once we are finished doing our lessons.”

Mavis looks full of confidence as she explained her hopes for the future. She said: “I would like to do my A-levels next and go to university. Without the pump that would have been more difficult for me.”

Another person whose life has been dramatically affected by the pump is Turiro’s matron, who doubles up as cook and gardener for the orphans and school children. Pollyster Muchemwa, 36, started work at Turiro four years ago, one year before the pump was installed.

Taking a quick break from stirring the sadza she is cooking for the children’s lunch, she explained the difference the pump had made.

She said “I look after the children, wash their clothes, iron them and also wash the children. I provide food as well.

“My life is much easier with the pump. It was hard before because water was some way away. We had to make trips to get water about four times a day.”

She explained this meant the water had to be rationed, and doing things like washing had to be done sparingly.

She said: “I could only wash the children’s clothes twice a week. But now I can do it every day and do things at any time because water is not a problem. Cooking is also better and I can wash the food in clean water.”

Now she has more time, Pollyster said she is pleased to get down to other jobs she had no time for in the past.

She said: “Sometimes I can mend the children’s clothes and I can manage to talk and sit with them and play with them – some of them don’t have parents and I want to give them love.”

The matron also said the pump had improved Turiro’s garden, which has gone from a few plants to a hive of growth which means nutritious food for the children, and also brings in some extra money.

She said: “The garden is really improved, it now has lots in it because we can water it and spend more time doing jobs there. We have maize, tomatoes, butternut squash and onions. Before we were just growing a bit but now we make so much we can sell some of it to buy meat for the orphans and books.”

Turiro’s co-founder, Kudzanai Kabunze, 48, who set up the orphanage 20 years ago with his sister, is delighted with the pump.

He said it had meant the school and orphanage could concentrate more on keeping healthy and getting educated instead of worrying about water all the time.

He said: “Now we have clean water and there is enough of it. They got the school healthy and they don’t have to go to the well to fetch water because they get it straight from the pump, they can do it themselves easily.”

As well as their thriving the garden, the school has just started a piggery, which has 21 pigs which they plan to sell and also provide food for the children.