DELTA CHEERS BIKITA COMMUNITY

DELTA Corporation has funded the installation of a solar borehole in Masvingo to provide clean drinking water to two schools and the Nyahunda small-scale farming community.

Worth US$15 000, the water project will benefit, at least 500 children from Chitendero Primary and Tagona Secondary schools, who were in the past forced to use unclean sources of water.

The borehole will also help to fight cholera at a time when the pandemic continues to cause problems in Masvingo province.

Both schools were destroyed by heavy rains in October last year.

Delta Corporation general manager, corporate affairs, Patricia Murambinda, said the donation was aimed at empowering rural people.

“The Bikita water project is driven by the need to provide much-needed clean and safe water to vulnerable communities.

“This project has enabled us to take a step towards empowering communities to fight against the cholera pandemic, while delivering on the vital human need, of access to water.

“The borehole will alleviate climate change induced water shortages in rural areas housing some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the country, which has been made possible through a generous grant from Delta,” said Murambinda.

“The project which was started late last year is focused on addressing the problem of inadequate water and poor sanitation at Tagona and Chitenderano Schools and the community in Nyahunda that will also contribute towards mitigating the spread of the ongoing cholera epidemic.

“Bikita has perennial water shortages and outbreaks of diarrhoea and typhoid are common in the community because of people using contaminated and unclean water.

“We are also targeting small scale farmers who are driving the economy in Bikita,” she said.

The project has acted as a catalyst for former students who have also teamed up to sponsor a number of community projects.

Through their efforts, the former students rehabilitated a borehole at the Ngorima Clinic.