In December 2021, we met the community of Chikandakubi Mitimitema village 5. The women of village 5 had to walk four kilometres several times a day to fetch a bucket of water. The approximately 500 villagers form a close-knit community in which the men also play their part, as was evident during the construction of the water pump.

It was special luck that the best place to drill for water was in the field where villagers gather. On 21 November 2022, the time had finally come. Drilling for water could begin. To drill through Kalahari sand, you need water and chemicals. The water was hauled in a 15000-litre tank on a truck from 15 km away. After five hours of drilling through 35 metres of Kalahari sand (“mud drilling”), drilling through 31 metres of granite (“air drilling”) took only one hour.

The 66-metre-deep well provides plenty of water (almost 2,000 litres per hour) and the water level in the borehole is at a depth of 27 metres. An excellent depth for a hand pump like the Zimbabwe Bush Pump, our first choice for a water pump. The villagers were very happy with their well. On 10 December 2022, the water pump was installed and village 5 has a safe water source.