Giving Update: Musango Community, Ham Mwenje Spring

On a recent field visit to Ham Mwenje Spring in Musango, we saw many positive changes in the community since the spring was first protected a little over a year ago.

Musango villagers are still very enthusiastic about the availability of clean water from Ham Mwenje Spring. It has given them a facelift and has strengthened our connection and trust with them. Thus, more people from the area have begun to ask us to help protect more springs in this community.

The water at Ham Mwanje is clear and the discharge remains strong, even during the dry season.

Community hygiene and sanitation standards have both improved greatly, as first noticed by homesteads' cleanliness. Community members now sweep and burn rubbish and cut long grasses around their homes. This concept was adopted after the training that was done after the implementation of the project. Beneficiaries of the sanitation platforms now not only use but also clean their latrines using water from the spring as well.

Lucia, Violet, and Field Officer Lillian

Caretaker Violet Seth has personally felt and seen the positive impacts the protection of Ham Mwanje Spring has brought to her community.

Violet takes a drink

"Since implementation, we have had clean water all through [the year], unlike before," Violet explained.

"The area has become much cleaner and even more accessible, even during the rainy season. Time used to fetch water has [been] reduced, [compared to] before protection [when] a lot of time used to be wasted scooping water from the ground to fill a container. Cases of water-related diseases like skin [problems] have [decreased], [because] before the water was protected it used to affect some individuals' skin but now that is history."

Violet and Lucia

For 10-year-old Lucia Eddah, the protection of Ham Mwanje Spring has meant more than just clean water for her.

"We have a lot of water now that takes me [only a] few minutes to fetch, unlike before when the spring was not protected," Lucia remembered.

"I used to scoop water from the ground and many times I could scoop dirty water. [The spring protection] has made my evening hours easy since I normally fetch water after school, then do my homework, so [it] takes [very] little time [to] get down to my books."

Lucia and Lillian

Violet's happiness was contagious!