Access to drinking water improved for Regina from Mozambique

Clean and safe drinking water is not available for everyone in Mozambique. Due to flooding, the water is often saline and of minor quality. It causes diseases and bad hygiene. The 41-year-old Regina, a mother of six, was one of the people experiencing these conditions. With the Watertime programme, she now has access to clean drinking water as can earn an income for her family.

Regina is married and a mother of four sons and two daughters. She and her family run a farm in Nhamatanda, a coastal region in central Mozambique. In 2019, Hurricane Idaï swept across the country, destroying many villages and towns – including their farm.

Floods

The family moved into a house in the village after the hurricane. On a piece of land, Regina and her family grow maize, beans and other vegetables. With this, they try to earn some money. This is not easy, as harvests regularly fail. Their land is in a low-lying area and floods are very common here. Regina tries to supplement her income by occasionally doing some work as a housekeeper.

Health problems

The family lives in a busy neighbourhood, close to the local market. Hygiene conditions are poor, and there are hardly any sanitation facilities. Regina and her family like the other community members, suffer greatly from health problems. As a result, they cannot work or go to school. There is hardly any clean drinking water. The water that is there is often salty and polluted, and people have to walk great distances to fetch water.

Water system

When Regina heard about the Watertime programme – a water system where the community can buy clean water for a small fee – she attended a meeting and decided to get involved. Regina thinks it is important for everyone to have access to clean water and she wants to contribute to that. She attended various training sessions to learn how to manage a business and about the technology of the water system.

After the training, Regina becomes a member of the water committee and, as a result, joins as an employee. Her job is to manage the tokens for the water system. The money she earns from this is a welcome addition to her family’s income, which now includes a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.

A better life

Regina and her family are not the only ones to benefit from the water system – there are now fewer diseases in the village, for example. This is obviously due to the clean drinking water, but also to the education Regina is providing on the importance of good hygiene. Another major benefit of the water system is that the inhabitants no longer have to walk so far to fetch water. The quality of their lives has improved considerably.

08 February 2024