“The help we have received is just amazing,” said Emeldah Malipilo, a resident of the Mwaiseni Community, which now has clean water and improved sanitation thanks to the Tudikwashi Health Care Project, an organization directed by United Methodist missionary Betty Tchala.
The Mwaiseni Community is one of many settlements in the Kitwe District of Zambia. With an estimated population of more than 20,000, the community has been facing challenges with clean water and sanitation for many years, said Malipilo.
The project includes six water taps for the community and six proper public toilets.
“I am so happy and I am very much certain that my fellow trained care providers are happy, too. From now onward, (there) will be enough water for the community, improved toilets and training on how to care for them,” she said.
The Tudikwashi Health Care Project identifies social problems in residential areas of the Kitwe District and provides solutions, according to Tchala, who started the health care organization in the Mwinilunga district in 2008.
“I want to thank the community for giving us a warm reception,” she said, adding her appreciation for the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries for sponsoring the project proposal for Mwaiseni. “So far, we have sunk six water boreholes with washing sinks at each borehole, built toilets and trained more than 20 community volunteer care providers.”
Many people in different parts of this world are facing similar situations like that of Mwaiseni, Tchala said, as she urged the community to take care of the amenities provided to them.
She also pointed out that the success and accomplishment of the project is all about God. She said it was not easy to see the project reach this level.
“God has really helped and encouraged me so much,” she said.
Mwaiseni resident John Zulu said the community is lucky to be picked for the project. He added that it has taken a long time for the community to have enough clean water and proper sanitation, with many houses having no toilets.
“It is not easy to be given such help. … We have really been living in difficult conditions, and personally, I see a hand of God in this project. The identification of our community is a great joy for me, because there are other unplanned community settlements around Kitwe District, which may be going through the same difficult conditions. But the identification of our community (Mwaiseni) is all about God.”
He said he and his fellow volunteer care providers will work to continue to help the community improve sanitation.
“We will always remain thankful to God through the Missionary Betty for identifying our community and providing us with all the facilities,” Zulu said.
He added that the project also will help the community to avoid water-borne diseases.
Mizi Lungu, project manager, encouraged all community volunteer caregivers to become agents of change by becoming examples of how to use the new resources and promote healthy living in the community.
“I want to thank The United Methodist Church and its leadership for Tudikwashi Health Care, which came up with this project they are calling Wash Project, and thought of Mwaiseni Community to benefit from this program,” Lungu said.
“This is an amazing consideration and very rarely experienced. Thank you to the missionary for the heart of service.”
Chikuta is a United Methodist communicator in Zambia. News media contact: Vicki Brown, Nashville, Tennessee, (615) 742-5470 or [email protected]. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digest.
Like what you're reading? Support the ministry of UM News! Your support ensures the latest denominational news, dynamic stories and informative articles will continue to connect our global community. Make a tax-deductible donation at ResourceUMC.org/GiveUMCom.
