The first time I got water from the tap I was ecstatic. I do not know how to describe my happiness; it is impossible.”
Emmely is doing the washing up in Zimbabwe
Getting fresh water running
The introduction of solar-powered water systems in Zimbabwe means women like Emmely now have access to fresh running tap water close to home.
Emmely's story
Our water source was far away, especially considering our old age. Since the introduction of clean water, we can do a lot... there has been a great change. We used to fetch water twice or three times daily. If we carried two big containers in a wheelbarrow, once in the morning and once at the end of the day. If we were carrying the containers on our heads then we would go three times a day.
Fetching water would take about 45 minutes. When we got to the water source we would wait for the container to fill up. This would take about 20 minutes.
Aurelie Marrier D'Unienville / Oxfam
The difference water makes
The first time I got water from the new tap I was ecstatic. I do not know how to describe my happiness – it's impossible. But we were thrilled to have clean water.
Aurelie Marrier D'Unienville / Oxfam
How Oxfam is helping bring water to rural Zimbabwe
- Oxfam is funding solar powered water systems in Zimbabwe.
- Women like Emmely now have access to fresh running tap water close to home.
- This frees up time for things like earning an income and seeing friends and family.
Since the introduction of clean water, we can do a lot — fetch water, prepare the cattle for ploughing, fetch firewood, tend to the garden and do laundry whenever we want. We are now very happy. We can even leave our chores for a while. There has been a great change.
It is such a joy to have water tanks and the solar powered system. We are still rejoicing even now and we will continue into the future.
As long as I am drinking clean water, I see a bright future for myself as an individual.”
Emmely
Aurelie Marrier D'Unienville / Oxfam
Your donation could buy a handwashing tap and a water container
Help more women like Emmely
Having access to clean water has been such a good thing for our community.
Emmely is celebrating getting clean water running in Zimbabwe
Getting safe clean water flowing worldwide
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The famous Oxfam Water Tank, first deployed more than 40 years ago, is now used all over the world.
Oxfam’s technical team use water tanks used by British farmers for water storage in emergencies. The first ones were put into use in 1976. Today, more than 40 years after they were invented, humanitarian agencies around the world use the Oxfam water tank.
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Oxfam worked with Surrey University to produce the Delagua water testing kit.
In emergencies, the water we source needs to be tested before it can be used. This kit has been designed to enable local communities to check whether the water is contaminated, and make sure the chlorine level is safe for drinking.
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Oxfam provided safe drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the Rwanda genocide.
Between 1994 and 1996, in the largest operation in our history, Oxfam provided safe drinking water for hundreds of thousands of refugees in Tanzania and Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) within days of their arrival - and until they went home over a year later.
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Zimbabwe: thousands of jerry cans sourced. Countless lives saved.
In Zimbabwe in early 2009, in a country already reeling from food shortages, a cholera outbreak threatened thousands of lives. Our rapid response team got there fast. In the town of Ngoni, we provided families with hygiene kits including 20 litre jerry cans, one kilogram of soap, water purification tablets, cotton wool and pamphlets on how to prevent cholera. Simple, brilliant, life-saving solutions.
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These worms save lives. Oxfam's Tiger Worm Toilets turn waste into fertiliser.
We first started developing our amazing Tiger Worm toilets in 2013. The worms decompose the waste and turn it into clean, safe fertiliser. Which means better sanitation and fewer health problems for poor communities and refugee camps around the world. It's just one of the ingenious ways Oxfam is helping people escape poverty, for good.
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Our frontline staff are helping thousands of Rohingya refugees fight Coronavirus.
In Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh, where Rohingya people are living in extremely overcrowded conditions, we stepped up our work on hygiene promotion, soap distribution and sanitation facilities to help 70,000 refugees.
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Water for 100,000 people in Central African Republic
To help stop the spread of the coronavirus, our teams on the field are installing 20 temporary emergency water points in the Central African capital, which will be gradually replaced by 10 permanent boreholes, so that nearly 100,000 people will have access to clean water.
40years
Oxfam has worked in Zimbabwe since 1980. A key element of our work in the country is to empower women and help them lift themselves out of poverty.
10water points
and 15 laundry facilities are being installed in Bubi, Zvishavane, Masvingo Rural and Gutu districts.
48%
A 2011 report found that less than half of Zimbabwe's rural population had access to safe drinking water (Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey) .
