Vusumuzi Dube
Nqwele Dube, Sunday News Correspondent
For American, Jeff Spratlin, access to clean tap water has always been something he took for granted as it has never been an issue in his life.
However, seeing the young and old in Luveve, Bulawayo carrying various sizes of containers in search of water opened his eyes to the difficulties that people in other countries face searching for water.
“Water is a need for all, we can’t live without the precious liquid. I had taken for granted the provision of clean and safe water for others because where I come from it has never been an issue, but I now appreciate the difficulties people face having seen them for myself,” said Spratlin.
As one of the donors of The Lot Water Project, Spratlin recently made the journey to Zimbabwe to see the work the organisation has done. He was impressed with what he saw on the ground and he believes the trip brought him closer to the realities of the challenges faced by the people the NGO is seeking to assist.
Having learnt of the negative impact of lack of access to clean drinking water through the experience of his adopted daughter, Ethiopian-born Adonage, who was found to have been affected by tapeworms which gave her stomach problems, Spratlin, and a work colleague of Lot Water Project founder, Innocent Hadebe, revealed the trip was the idea of his biological daughter, Avery, who has also been a huge backer of the Non-Governmental Organisation and also made the journey to Zimbabwe.
“Avery is so passionate about the project. She felt compelled to come and see the work on the ground but her mother, Paige, insisted I accompany her. I’m glad I did as it turned out to be one of the beautiful trips, seeing the warmth and great hospitality of the people of Zimbabwe and gaining a deeper insight into The Lot Water Project’s work. I also realised there is a lot of opportunity for us to continue supporting the Lot Water Project,” he said.
Spratlin, who is from Atlanta, said he believes it will be critical to continue providing safe drinking water in the city as it continues to grapple with water challenges due to the region’s arid weather. Lindsay Copeland, who is based in Wyoming, said she was delighted with the way the boreholes were being installed indicating that they will provide water for generations to come and not just focus on the current needs.
“I met Innocent through a friend at church, Wallace, and just like everything God ordained he immediately felt like a brother. We decided to support the project after praying about it. It is important and critical the wells (boreholes) that are drilled last for generations to come. We felt compelled to come and see what is going on in Zimbabwe, not just see the Lot Water Project, but understand the people, understand the beautiful and the hard things, understand how we can pray for you and how we can support you. We have been to two of the drill sites and met a lot of people in the community, we have toured the schools and seen how the water will be used, not just for the schools but also for the community in the surrounding areas. It’s one of those things that God leads you to support and touch lives through you and you know it’s something that he wants us to personally continue doing.”
Penny Wilke, also from Wyoming, revealed she had always wanted to come to Zimbabwe since she was 13-years-old, and was glad partnering with the Lot Water Project.
A retired nurse, Wilkie, said a former classmate who had moved to Harare in the 1980s had told her a lot about the country which heightened her intrigue to one day make a visit.
“Water is a human need and supporting such a cause is important for me particularly when I know the positive impact the project is making on children,” she said.
Courageous Women in Action founder, Dr Hetty Asiodu was also part of the trip and her entity donated five sewing machines to local women. The group witnessed the drilling of two boreholes at Imbizo Primary School and Matshayiskhova Primary School.
The group took time to experience the splendour of Victoria Falls, getting a tour of the rainforest with Copeland also indulging in the bungee jump on the Victoria Falls bridge. The Lot Water Project was formed in response to the Luveve Water crisis that resulted in the death of at least 13 people and hospitalisation of hundreds following a dysentery outbreak in 2020.
Online Reporter