Ponesai Vanhu Children's Home is an orphanage which houses approximately fifty orphans and vulnerable children. They had no fixed, reliable source of water despite paying an average of $500 per month.
Senior missionary couple, Larry and Debbie McMurdie, decided they could help. As welfare/humanitarian senior missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints they organized the project. A borehole was drilled and equipped with two free-standing 5000 litre tanks. The yield produced from the well was sufficient to fully address the water needs of the orphanage. Borehole water was connected to the antiquated water pipes to provide improved water accessibility to all points within the building areas of the orphanage. In addition, a pressure tank was installed and four outdoor water taps were added in the open-air kitchen, children’s playground, near the girls’ hostels, and in the planned garden space near their piggery place.
At the one-year review of Ponesai Vanhu, the beneficial results were extremely evident. The matron, Abigail Marira and the children had managed to create a very large garden area for their crops, where previously there had been only weeds. The garden provides nutritious vegetables for the orphanage children, with the remainder being sold to the community. The reviewing couple discovered a modified pipe system in place from the kitchen tap which captured the run off from the food preparation, and directed the life giving water to the garden, thereby utilizing every precious drop of water.
In addition to the bountiful garden the orphanage is raising pigs, ducks, chickens and rabbits (all made possible through an adequate supply of clean water). As a result of their efforts they have chicken in their freezer for consumption and possible sale.
