Better water for a better life

Mushumbi is in northern Zimbabwe, on the border with Mozambique. It is one of the driest parts of Africa. In recent years, the region has been plagued by drought and extreme weather, making conditions even harder for small farmers. Water shortages represent a serious threat to people and animals in the region. Water is life. And for farmers, water means a decent harvest, an income, a livelihood. We are working with our raw materials partner Organic Africa Holdings and small hibiscus farmers to promote practices for more sustainable agriculture and a more resilient supply chain

The fundamental question driving the Mushumbi Water Project in Zimbabwe was: How can we ensure safe, easy access to water to improve health and quality of life in rural communities in Africa? Put simply, our solution was to build wells, which local communities operate independently via their own Water Committees.

Healthy water supply = healthy people

According to health organizations, more than 700 million people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water. In places without a safe water supply, cholera and diarrheal diseases are some of the most common causes of death. Many children do not get enough to drink – with fatal consequences.

The new wells in Mushumbi are having a positive long-term impact on the health of the local population, who are no longer forced to drink contaminated water. “Drinking safe, worm-free water has changed our lives,” said one woman. “We no longer have diarrhea and stomach problems.” With the help of the Mushumbi Water Project, 20 wells were built from 2020 to 2022. More than 2,000 households – that’s around 10,000 people – are benefitting from the new drinking water supply.

Saving time, changing lives

Another benefit of the wells is that they save time. Previously, the women and children – who are traditionally responsible for fetching water in African families – had to undertake frequent long walks to the waterhole. Their only alternative was to scoop up water from the Dande River. “Before the wells were installed we used to waste a lot of time,” another woman tells us. “We would get out of bed at 4 o’clock in the morning to set out on the long search for water. We would lose three hours and not get to the fields to work until 7 o’clock. By that time it was already hot and the work was hard.”

Autonomous management and gender balance
A fundamental part of the Mushumbi Water Project is to share knowledge and enable communities to autonomously and sustainably improve their standard of living. Everyone involved benefits from the shared knowhow and the sense of community is strengthened.

One example is the autonomous management of the wells by Water Committees. We held various workshops and training sessions to show teams how to take care of the wells themselves, to maintain them, and to resolve smaller problems by working together as a community. Since almost all the fields are traditionally owned by men, it was important to us to ensure a better gender balance in the Committees. The proportion of women in the Water Committees is around 60 percent, ensuring greater inclusion of women in community decision-making processes.

Organic Africa brings new knowledge

Before the small farmers in the Mushumbi region began cultivating hibiscus for Organic Africa, most of them grew cotton or tobacco. Not only was this less lucrative, the work was also much more hazardous to health due to the use of various chemicals. As cotton and tobacco harvests deteriorated year on year in the wake of long periods of drought, the farmers became more interested in switching to a different raw material. Since then, hibiscus has been an important source of income in the region. “Rosella,” as the locals call the plant, only needs water just after sowing – afterwards it thrives, even in very dry places.