By Virginia Njovo
Masvingo – Community Based Aid Programme (CBAP) drilled a hybrid solar-powered borehole at Morgenster Central Primary School, putting an end to the water challenges that the school was facing.
CBAP Director Samuel Mhungu said as part of their mission to help the community, they had requested proposals for borehole drilling from 26 schools in Masvingo Province, including Morgenster Primary. They recognized the urgent need at Morgenster and decided to consider their proposal.
“We put out a call for proposals from the 26 schools we’re working with, and the urgent response we received from Morgenster CPS showed they were truly in need of the borehole, which we later drilled here for the benefit of the school and the community,” said Mhungu.
The CBAP has other projects at Morgenster CPS, including poultry, gardening, and horticulture, and the new solar-powered borehole has made these initiatives easier to implement.
“The 3,200 kW solar borehole has facilitated the implementation of some of our projects here at Morgenster CPS,” said Mhungu.
Morgenster CPS head Percy Chigumbu said the school had insufficient water supply for a long period since the mission’s water supply was being affected by power outages, leaving the school in a dilemma.
“We did not have a reliable water supply here at Morgenster Primary for a prolonged period due to power cuts affecting the mission’s water system. We could not store the little water we were getting,” said Chigumbu.
During the COVID-19 and cholera outbreaks, the lack of water at the school was especially problematic, as learners required frequent hand washing.
“We had significant challenges during the cholera and COVID-19 outbreaks, as there was a critical need for regular hand washing. We had to go to Morgenster Teachers College daily to request water, which was an extremely difficult situation. We’re grateful to CBAP for coming to our rescue,” Chigumbu said.
In Masvingo Province, CBAP is working with 26 schools (13 primary, 13 secondary) to help the community adapt to climate change. They have also constructed a borehole with a supported irrigation system for the Zimuto community.
