Drinking Water for the Elwandle Mahhahhani-Community

Lubhaca Elwandle Water

The Elwandle Mahhahhani-Community lies few kilometres south of the city Manzini. In spite of this it is a predominantly rural community without access to drinking water and – until 2007 – without electricity. Thanks to the electricity the community can now take another big step towards a better life: to get drinking water through a borehole and an electric pump for all 100 households. Families that have some kind of income already have financed the installation of a borehole. The community has approached the local Inkhundla authorities and sahee foundation and asked them for financial support to establish a drinking water scheme for all households of the community. Sahee visited the community and observed that drinking water has to be collected at remote water holes that are also the water source of cattle. Diseases caused by polluted water are one of the main health problems in the area for the local population. Thanks to clean drinking water, the community will also improve its health standard. Based on the results of several visits and discussions with community members and initiators, sahee decided to support this project through a local organization. Each family will pay a monthly contribution towards the maintenance of the water scheme that has been already outlined by the village elders. To grant access to water for all, middle-income-families established a fund to pay for the water fee of the poor households. It is rarely to find community-driven projects that are as well thought through as it is the case here. The project is monitored by the local organization "Swaziland National Youth Council".

Project site

Elwandle Mahhahhani, Manzini (Map)

Beneficiaries

About 100 Homesteads counting 900 Persons

Project costs and assistance by sahee

The entire project costs are CHF 58’000.–, whereas sahee takes over CHF 28’000.–.

CHF 28.000; contact with beneficiaries and SNYC, visits at the site.

Duration of assistance

1st of January 2008 to 31st of October 2010

Local counterpart

Swaziland National Youth Council