For many years, the villages of Rusumo and Ntobwe, Rwanda lived extremely difficult lives due to the lack of water. When rainfall was adequate, the water collected in areas that were not close to where the people lived. Traveling to the where the water was located and bringing it back was the only way villagers survived. The procedure for getting water was, at best, difficult and during the drought years, it was a tragedy as adequate water supplies were non existent. The water shortage contributed to cholera outbreaks in several parts of the country. Sickness from having to utilize unhealthy water sources is the most prominent aspect of the problem. Without a reliable local source of clean water, Rwandans often will spend much of their time walking to clean water sources and carrying it back to their homes. Children who should have been in school, were instead asked to fetch water because the need was so great. |
 |
Due to the remoteness of the villages, there was little hope for this situation to change until Sister Mukanyonga and George Riess (photo at left) asked an organization called Engineers without Borders (Cincinnati Ohio chapter ) if they would look at the problem and see if a solution could be found. This wonderful group of people knew the Bridge to Rwanda Charity had little funds to undertake such a sizable task where even travel funds were costly. Expenses and costs were never a part of the criterea that EWB used to solve the problem at hand. |
| In late July of 2009, Chuck Dragga, Tom Blankmeyer and Pat Corcoran of the EWB-GCP chapter traveled to Rwanda to improve the drinking water supply for Sister Mukanyonga and the remote village of Ntobwe. Initially the trip started out as an assessment and implementation trip but it was soon realized that a number of remedies could be implemented immediately. There was water waste that needed to be addressed and self closing valves needed to be installed on some standpipes. |
After reviewing water sources it was determined that a second source near one of the existing sources needed to be developed. Over 100 people from the village participated in the construction that included hillside excavation and pipe trenching (see photo at right). The work done by EWB members and the local community increased the water supply by over 50%. With the increase in water supply, the existing storage tank which contained just inches of water upon the team's arrival, was soon filling to four feet. This highlighted the need for a follow-up project; seal the leaks in the mortar of the tank that were discovered with the new higher water levels. The new problem although bothersome at first was welcomed because of the tremendous increase in the amount of water available. |
|
| Sister Patricia (as she is often called) and her students will be forever grateful to EWB members who brought such joy to a community that had been plagued with the problems of having an insufficient water supply. |
