Turning on a tap and water running out is something most of us take for granted. But for many rural communities in Africa, accessing water means walking up to 5 kilometres one way to the nearest water source. Water collection is done mainly by the women and girls and they will carry a 20 litre bucket of water on their heads to bring water back to their homesteads.
On a trip to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe in 2018, Shellene Wyrick met a local guide by the name of George, whose rural homestead is in Phakama Village, about 26km outside Victoria Falls. Although there is a running stream in this area, George shared with her the challenges of accessing water every day. It struck a chord in her heart and she made a commitment to raise funds for a solar borehole to be constructed in the area for the villagers.
Shellene looked for a local organisation on the ground working with rural communities, which is how she and Greenline Africa came into contact. Greenline Africa, with the assistance of the community, will oversee the installation of a solar borehole for Phakama village. Thereafter, the community will manage the water themselves. This solar borehole will allow access to water for around 150 villagers.
Shellene and her fiancé Nav, are getting married in November 2021 and they decided instead of wedding gifts, they would ask their family and friends to donate towards this worthy cause.
The Greenline Africa team wishes to thank Shellene and Nav for this generous gesture and we thank them for caring to care and we thank all those who will join them in making this project a reality.
