Pure, clear water for Christmas!

The joy of pure, clear water! Pupils at a primary school near Nyangombe are gifted a borehole!

Instead of an 80^th birthday present, a very kind friend of the McKillops decided to ask her friends and family to donate to a ‘water project’. Gordon and Sybil McKillop are missionaries at Nyangombe Christian Teaching Centre, Zambia. The idea materialised and the possibility to try and help towards getting water to Kahanda Primary School, which has 350 pupils, became a reality. These children come from villages within a five-mile radius of Nyangombe.

This was planned to be a two-pronged project. Firstly, they wanted to pipe water from Nyangombe River which could be used for washing clothes and also provide water for hand washing, which was now very topical. But also, they recognised the importance of having a deep well or borehole where fresh, pure drinking water could be obtained and made available to the students and their families.

At Nyangombe they did not quite know how to begin and make this project a reality. They were able to begin piping water approx. 1000 metres from Nyangombe, however the deep well option was more complex and needed equipment they just did not have available at the time.

A month later, World Vision Zambia had a drilling rig in the area and asked if they could help Kahanda Primary School – this was amazing! They drilled two dry holes which provided more than enough for the school. But getting the water to the school was the next challenge!

Within days of the borehole being drilled, a water pump became available and serious installation and construction work began. Building trainees and workers from Nyangombe helped with the work which was a fantastic opportunity for them. They went to work to install a pump and the concrete surroundings. Everyone worked really hard, and the water pump installation was completed in one, but very long day. There was already great excitement amongst the children!

On the day the concrete cured, the school children were asked to bring their containers for filling after school. It was a day of great joy because these children represent more than 2,000 family members who will benefit greatly from pure water.

The children asked us to thank all the donors who had participated in giving to the project. This should lead to a marked improvement in the health and wellbeing for up to 3,000 people in the surrounding villages of Kahanda and Mwana Mutowa.

On completion in early October 2021, Gordon realised that this was probably the fastest water project ever achieved in this area (under two months from the idea to completion). Everyone is thrilled for a good number of reasons. The Lord’s help, World Vision’s intervention, the friend’s 80th birthday, and all things dovetailing together in such a short period of time – for all this we give thanks!