It was quite a memorable day for the Chihota Community who came in their hundreds to witness the commissioning of two boreholes donated by Upper Manyame Sub-Catchment Council as well as Pastor Hyeon on behalf of Korea Food for the Hungry International (KFHI).

The event was graced by officials of the Marondera West constituency, including Honourable Member of Parliament Sibongile Mukunyaidze, Chihota chiefs, and headmen.

Students from the local primary schools and Chizengeni Secondary School provided entertainment with their speeches relating to water and to show their appreciation to Upper Manyame Sub-Catchment Council for the boreholes as well as to Councillor Edward Gata for representing them and ensuring they have access to clean water.

Upper Manyame Sub-Catchment Council Chief Executive Officer, Engineer Wensley Muchineri, gave the welcome remarks.

In his remarks, he emphasized how the Chihota Community was blessed to have Councillor Gata, standing in for them to get access to clean water.

“I must applaud Councillor Gata for ensuring that his community has boreholes drilled so that the Chihota Community has access to clean water.

“Upper Manyame is committed to helping communities in its catchment area and we are happy that today we are in Chihota to commission these boreholes.”

Engineer Muchineri also encouraged the community not to discriminate on the borehole.

“This borehole belongs to the whole community, regardless of the political party they support. Let us all share the resource so that everyone enjoys the benefits.”

A few days before the commissioning of the borehole, the solar panels had been stolen and this had been a drawback but this did not stop the borehole commissioning.

“I am grateful for the assistance that we got from Upper Manyame Sub-Catchment Council,” said Councillor Gata.

“The issue of theft came as a setback but we managed to secure the solar panels and the borehole.

“I encourage the Chihota community to ensure that our borehole is well kept, it is our borehole and we are all responsible for it,” he said.

The Board Chairman, Cde Stallin Mau Mau gave the handover speech where he first acknowledged the great presentations that had been given by the students.

“The efforts put in by the student in giving these speeches is remarkable. It shows that appreciation is coming from every member of the community,” he said.

“We are rest assured that our future is safe with a generation that understands the importance of this precious resource.”

Cde. Mau Mau was also impressed by the crowds that had gathered to witness the commissioning of the boreholes, noting that it showed that Councillor Gata had full support from the community.

“I have never seen such a crowd in the communities we’ve donated to,” he said

“I am impressed that you all came in your numbers to witness this ceremony which shows how important these boreholes are to you.”

The Chairman also gave his appreciation to Pastor Hyeon for his donation towards the Chizengeni Secondary School borehole.

“We have been working with Pastor Hyeon for a while now and through his organization, Korea Food for the Hungry International, we have been able to drill several boreholes within our Sub-Catchment,” he said.

“We are very grateful to Pastor Hyeon for his contributions as he has helped change lives. This shows that he has people at heart and he wishes to see people lead healthy lives.”

Pastor Hyeon noted that he was grateful for the partnership with Upper Manyame Sub-Catchment Council as it had helped him in changing lives in different communities.

“My aim is to ensure that underprivileged communities have access to water and that is why I am on a drive to sourcing funding from Korea and donating to different communities,” he said.

“Even the bible says let those who are thirsty come to drink, so let’s share this borehole with all who are in need of water.”

Honourable Member of Parliament Mukunyaidze was grateful for these donations as this has helped them change the lives of the community.

“As Marondera West Constituency, we are grateful to Upper Manyame Sub-Catchment Council and Pastor Hyeon for these boreholes, they will go a long way in helping the community.

“I am also happy that the boreholes have been strategically placed in a way that members of the community can access water at a central point,” she said.

The second borehole commissioned was at Chizengeni Secondary school. This borehole was drilled by Korea Food for the Hungry International in collaboration with Upper Manyame Sub-Catchment Council.

Councillor Gata stressed how this borehole would change the lives of the community, especially with the school having vast land.

“This borehole will enable the school and the community to undertake a lot of agricultural projects that will bring in money which will develop the community.

“There’s a ready market for horticulture produce and because water is now readily available, the projects will be able to flourish,” he said.

The teachers were very happy as they no longer had to travel long distances to fetch water. However, they still had to fetch water from the taps. The Board Chair Person, Cde Mau Mau donated 300 meters of pipes for water reticulation so that teachers could have water running from their houses.

Water remains a scarce commodity and access to it still remains a challenge, especially in marginalized communities. The Chihota community had to travel over a kilometer to get water for use. There was once a cholera outbreak that affected a lot of people because there wasn’t access to clean water.

“These borehole donations have come at a great time. There only had been only one water point since 1926, of which people had to travel for over a kilometer to get water,” said Councillor Gata.

“I am happy that these boreholes are located at a central place where people can easily access clean water,” he said

Upper Manyame Sub-Catchment Council has donated several boreholes to marginalize societies to ensure that communities have access to clean water. This has helped in improving the livelihoods of people and the Council continues assisting underprivileged communities.