Caritas Kumbo holds as its priority integral human development which is the development of every person and of the whole person especially of the poorest and most neglected in the community.
Caritas Kumbo has been responding to this through several ways with the provision of potable water to indigenous communities. Over the years Caritas has provided potable to 57 communities in three phases and the fourth phase is currently under execution with 15 communities in this phase. This will bring the number to 72 by 2020.
The provision of potable water is a whole systematic process which embodies a whole lot of processes and activities. It all begins after an application has been received from the community. The applications are assembled and detailed feasibility study of the villages carried out and then a project proposal is written and submitted for funding. The following are some of the Activities carried out:
Community Education, Sensitization and Mobilization:
Community education and sensitization on water systems management and water safety measures is carried out in both old and new communities. New communities are mobilized prior to commencement of construction works against the roles and responsibilities of the community members. This includes financial contributions, material contributions and local labour. Education and sensitization is carried out on the following:
Water catchment protection:
The communities are educated on the need for catchment protection and the various tasks they have to carry out in order that there is no contamination at the level of the catchment. Awareness about the fact that catchment protection guarantees safe and sufficient supply of
potable water is created. Caritas Kumbo does not only accompany the communities in education and sensitization on water catchment protection. They also provide tree nursery materials for and seeds. The community is trained and they establish their nurseries and nurse seedlings of water friendly trees which they eventually out plant into the catchment areas. They are also assisted with barbed wire to fence the catchment areas off human and animal trespassing.
Caritas Kumbo works with communities to transform catchment areas that are in the above condition to a protected area with no form of human or animal activity. Communities with naturally protected catchment areas are encouraged to maintain the catchment protection and prevent trespassing and deforestation, farming and bush fires.
Health, Hygiene and Sanitation in relation to the Use of Water:
Caritas kumbo has continued to educate communities on the importance of hygiene and sanitation as far as water is concerned, not leaving out primary school children who have retentive memories so that the message can go a long way both at home and the world at large. They are also made to understand the reason why refuse and sewage disposal is very important in our communities. In all the communities where pipe borne water is constructed, we take the sample to Shisong general hospital laboratory for testing and also take statistics for water borne diseases from all the health units in and around the project area before and after construction to compare and see if there is a drop in the prevalence of water borne diseases or a rise. Posters are also given to schools and communities as reminders for the practice.
Gender Balance in the Conception, Execution, Use and Management of Water Schemes:
Caritas kumbo is educating the communities on gender issues as far as the water project is concerned. This is to make sure that there is equality were by all categories of people (young, adult and the old) are being participated and also benefit from the project. Caritas Kumbo have realized that must projects have failed due to the fact that women are being exempted from the projects, so to ensure sustainability of the project in the long run, all the target group has to be consider and not a particular group of people.
Addressing Social Issues; Minor Conflicts that might arise as a result of the Water Project:
Education of the communities on the above aspects is in a bid to help the communities to render the water schemes sustainable and to achieve the project goal which is to reduce the incidence of water related diseases in the communities.
Capacity building workshops and trainings:
Besides the education of the communities as a whole, training workshops have been organized for the water management committee members to boost their capacities in the various aspects that directly affect the water scheme and its functionality. These include capacity building on hygiene and sanitation practices, environment and catchment protection, water systems maintenance and other related topics.
Participants deliberating during a workshop session
Participants presenting their workshop findings during plenary sessions
Participants pose with facilitators and Caritas staff after training
Technical Construction Works:
This is the major activity as it makes available the various structures through which potable water is made available and proximate to the community. The technical construction is carried out by a team of technicians while skilled and unskilled labour is also employed from the village in question. The community plays a major role during this phase of the water scheme by carrying out excavation of the catchment, tanks and stand pipe sites, drilling and back-filling of pipelines and the provision of local materials like sand stones and timber besides their cash contribution which is a certain percentage of the total cost of the project which is calculated depending on the financial viability of CK.
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