Located approximately 300km from Harare in the southeastern part of Zimbabwe in the Mashonaland East province of the Chikomba district, the Chirasauta community is a semi-arid place where the rainy season only lasts for 3 months out of the entire year. In 2015 the Rotary Club (RC) of Winnipeg was approached by Dr. Matanga, Executive Director of the Canadian Multicultural Disability Centre Inc. (CMDCI), with a request for assistance to bring water to his remote home village of Chirasauta.
Rotary Club of Winnipeg took on the challenge. Over a period of 18 months we provided water and sanitation education to thousands of students in numerous schools who helped us to raise the necessary funds, a total of $30,000, which included a grant of $6,000 from the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation as well as a contribution from our Rotary District 5550. Towards the end of 2016, we were able to have a borehole drilled and a solar-powered pump installed bringing a permanent source of clean water to residents of Chirasauta and other villages in the surrounding areas. In addition to the many other benefits the girls are now able to go to school instead of making several trips each day to fetch water.
