Community Restores Water Source in Zimbabwe
Photo by Tariro Mhute/CRS
St. Boniface’s concrete dam wall casts a reflection on the water. For the first time in many years, the dam is full. The reservoir stretches out, like a mirror reflecting every detail of the environment, abundant with life. The dam holds not only water but a story of human endeavor, resilience and hope.
Nestled in Hurungwe, Mashonaland West Province of Zimbabwe, St. Boniface Dam directly benefits more than 3,000 people in the neighboring community, including two schools with more than 1,000 students. The reservoir has a capacity of about 68,000 gallons and is replenished by a river that flows year-round.
Taking charge: reclaiming the community’s pride
Renious Chademana, chairman of the St. Boniface Mission school development committee, admires progress on restoring the reservoir created by the St. Boniface Dam.
Photo by Tariro Mhute/CRS
Zimbabwe is feeling the impacts of climate change: most water sources are drying up and the country has received below-normal rainfall in the last four years. Drought and irregular rainfall threaten communities that depend on agriculture, including those who live near St. Boniface Dam.
In 2021, community leaders approached the Catholic Church seeking support to repair the dam, a piece of infrastructure fundamental to their ability to provide for their families. The original dam had been built on Church land in 1968. The community hoped the Church could come through for them once again.
Keith Chitembeya stands in a reservoir near the dam he helped build. Photo by Tariro Mhute/CRS
In 2022, Catholic Relief Services Zimbabwe sourced funds for the rehabilitation of St. Boniface Dam. In partnership with the Caritas Diocese of Chinhoyi and the Government of Zimbabwe, CRS launched the Zim Ecosystems Services Project. The project centers on the restoration of the dam and surrounding ecosystem to increase the availability of water and other productive assets such as trees, livestock, gardens and fish farming for nearby communities. Community members use it for both personal consumption and income generation through drip irrigation for agricultural plots, fruit tree production, animal fodder production and aquaculture. Now that the dam has been rehabilitated, people living near the reservoir once again have a reliable source of water.
“Before the rehabilitation, the dam was leaking due to some cracks in the wall. Because of the leakage, the reservoir quickly dried up, especially during the summer season. Last year it dried up and we had to dig shallow wells in the dry reservoir. Now that the dam rehabilitation has been completed, a lot has changed. There is enough water for eight villages and neighboring schools. I am so happy that people have enough water for their needs,” says Renious Chademana with a huge smile.
The roadmap: working with communities
To kickstart the St. Boniface Dam rehabilitation, CRS and Caritas Chinhoyi started by engaging traditional leaders, government stakeholders, and the community. Both organizations worked with community members to help them establish their vision and action plan for land restoration, creating a road map for how they will communally manage this revitalized resource. Local traditional leaders sourced construction materials, such as sand and rocks, and organized volunteers, including many young people, to help with repairs. Volunteers gained skills in masonry and construction work that they can leverage for future employment. Keith Chitembeya, a 22-year-old from Kandororo Village, is one such volunteer.
“When I finished school in 2022, I started helping my parents with farming. When this project started, I volunteered to be a builder, and we were trained by the lead builder. I had no prior experience in brickwork, and I had to learn. Now I have been promoted to junior assistant builder. I have developed an interest in brickwork, and I plan to enroll in vocational skills training,” Keith says.
Women play an essential role in managing water resources
Nyasha Kunguma fishing at St Boniface Dam.
Photo by Tariro Mhute/CRS
While repairing the dam is central to the success of the project, CRS and Caritas Chinhoyi have included an important community-based approach to build relationships and connections between community members. The purposeful inclusion of women in decision-making and reservoir management was built into the project and incorporated into long-term community plans. The program includes gender champions, smart couples, and positive masculinity training to reduce Gender Based Violence at the family, community and systems levels. For women like Nyasha Kunguma, a mother of five from Chabumhe Village, the project has been a blessing, as she can now access water closer to home.
“I will use water from the dam for gardening. I sell vegetables in Chabumhe and neighboring villages. However, in the past few years, we have been facing water challenges because the dam was drying up. Most women and girls from my village were walking seven kilometers just to fetch water. We welcome this project, and we are so excited that we finally have water in our community,” says Nyasha.
