Hello, my name is Mark. I’m gathering funding for a project to construct a water well for the Twingile Na Ngovu Club of Chief’s Capital, Kasempa District, in the Northwest Province of Zambia.

"Twingile Na Ngovu" in KiiKaonde means 'Work with Energy’ or ‘Work with Enthusiasm". 

Briefly, our intention is to provide water for fish ponds and gardens on a 15 hectare area designated for community use. Here is a photo of the site.

For some context behind the community decision to venture into integrated farming/aquaculture, we can review the major challenges facing many of the communities throughout Kasempa District. Chief’s Capital residents face challenges of poverty and lack of income generating activities. Hunger and food insecurity are common, as is a lack of reliable access to clean water. These are a constant challenge for the whole community. This was the driver of the decision to venture into tilapia fish farming and gardening. These activities require access to water.

With access to water, the club members/fish farmers will be able to raise fish for both local consumption and to sell, providing a reliable income generating activity. The pond water, rich in nutrients and nitrogen, can also fertilize and maintain gardens. Interestingly, certain fast-growing vegetation types are used as food for the tilapia, thus forming a certain symbiosis between fishponds and gardens. These fish and garden crops can address food insecurity and hunger on the household level within this growing community.

The current club membership is comprised of community members who are church leaders, community health volunteers, co-op leaders, parents, and traditional leaders. The entire club membership is placing access to water as the primary goal for this proposal. Here’s a photo of a stakeholder meeting during planning stages of the project.

The first part of the budget will fund the deep borehole and the purchase of a submersible pump system for filling fish ponds and for garden irrigation. This submersible pump system will be connected to solar panels which, thanks to the abundant sunlight in Zambia, provide farmers with a low-cost method to pump water. It is extremely important to note that a deep, reliable borehole can be a constant benefit to community members when the various local hand pump boreholes are in disrepair or depleted during the dry season.

In summary, the club has been granted a 15-hectare plot of land which will be used for integrated farming. A water storage tank is available on site. The enthusiasm for work and development as well as access to necessary training are all available. Now, all that is needed is access to water.

The second part of the budget is to host a small workshop with the goal of training about 15-20 local community members on how to mend/repair the many “India Mark II” style hand pump boreholes found throughout Chief’s Capital and neighboring communities. These boreholes require routine maintenance which can be expensive and result in limited access to water. This workshop enables the local community to maintain its pumps and would be a partnership between the Twingile Na Ngovu Club, the Kasempa District DAPP Organization Pump Mender Educators, and the Rural Water Supply & Sanitation Office of Kasempa District, and other local volunteers.