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Tough Decisions need the A Team!

sandyelsworth

This is what a failed borehole looks like! Myself with Matthias at Daramombe.
This is what a failed borehole looks like! Myself with Matthias at Daramombe.


Who gets a Borehole? Where do we spend the limited funds to provide a borehole with solar pumping? And who makes that difficult decision? These are issues which ARDEZ and TZABA have to make with this Solar Water Project.


So I want to introduce the key players in ARDEZ, led by Mr Artwell Sipinyu from the Harare office of the Anglican Cathedral. He is a generally quiet and thoughtful gentleman, and can be usually found behind a wooden desk covered with papers and reports. His role as National Coordinator for Anglican Relief and Development in Zimbabwe (ARDeZ) means that he leads on these hard decisions.


So the selection list is drawn up. Mr Darlington Musekiwa in the Central Province and Mr Matthias Maduba in Masvingo Province (of whom more later) compile their own, including those from Bulawayo and the Eastern province.


The spreadsheet grows and spreads. Places with schools, with clinics, with local communities currently facing long walks to collect muddy water, orphanages, etc. We note the number of students at the schools, the urgency of need, the community voices and more. Which Provinces have recently been supported and who has been left out. Criteria change and morph. But finally, a decision must be made, heartbreaking to some, a celebration for others. A choice that will impact lives.


Welcome to Daramombe, a vibrant community just an hour's drive from Chivhu, nestled in the heartlands of the country along an adventurous stony track! Originally established as a mission station over a century ago, this area is now home to a bustling clinic that serves both a primary and a large secondary school in addition to the local communities. Set in a stunning forested valley, the location is graced by a muddy stream, though its quality and reliability could be better. The magnificent msasa trees offer refreshing shade to students and teachers under the blazing sun. However, the quest for water remains an ongoing challenge!



Students at Daramombe School enjoying a break, including the daughter of Matthias in the centre.
Students at Daramombe School enjoying a break, including the daughter of Matthias in the centre.

The priest-in-charge is at the helm of the Farm, a vast expanse of wild scrubland bursting with potential, dotted with blackjacks and thorns. This Farm is crucial for supplying the students with fresh vegetables and nutritious foods, especially during the challenging dry season. However, each year it faces the challenge of relying on the river.


It is selected for a new borehole and solar array. The new drilling followed at least three previous attempts to construct a borehole. The failed borehole pipes stick up from the white clay ground like open sores. Our drilling took two attempts, using special mud drilling techniques and much sweat and cursing from the drillers, but it finally succeeded, reaching 50 metres before hurriedly installing the casing and screens before a further collapse.


Drilling at the Daramombe Farm
Drilling at the Daramombe Farm

The pump testing demonstrated an impressive yield, operating at 1.5l/s (130m3/day), with the water level decreasing from 10.7m to 12m over two days, indicating even greater potential. We installed a large pump, a solar array, distribution pipelines, and storage to fully capitalize on this abundant resource. The Farm has been planted, and the first crops are ready for the school's harvest. The transformation is remarkable, filled with hope and promising possibilities for the future.


Excitingly, the supplementary benefit has been for Artwell, Darlington, and Matthias, who were right there on site, eagerly watching the drilling, tackling the challenges, taking water readings, and managing the Contractor (who was quite argumentative!). The A-Team, as I refer to them, have made tremendous strides in Supervision and Contract Management, and have mastered the essential skill of How To Drill a Borehole—crucial in this dry country where climate change is increasingly affecting rural lives.


I am so pleased to be part of this programme, and we are thankful to TZABA and our supporters for the funding in this project.


Sandy Elsworth 14 January 2025

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