Water is Life
"My name is Felizardo Alexandre and I am 17 years old. I live in the Malanga neighborhood of the Majune District, Mozambique with my Mother and Brothers.
My Father works away, so when I am not in school, I help my Mother with the housework and work on our farm.
The community water pump and sink area that has been installed has changed our lives. Before, we used to have to travel to River Nahukala which is 1.5 km away. It took a long time to walk there, carrying our washing, and we could only do our washing on weekends as it took such a long time. The way we washed our clothes in the river meant that clothes were ruined quickly after being rubbed against stones.
Now we go to the fountain area or ‘laundry room’ to wash the family’s clothes. It means that we can save money as we use less washing powder, our clothes last longer and most importantly we have to spend less time doing our washing. It takes a short time to go the laundry room, just pull the handle of the pump, grab a bucket and fill up a sink. With the extra time I can do my homework , study with my friends or help my Mother with the housework.
Everybody here faced the same problem and the new laundry room is very busy! The project has helped the communities in other ways too, as we now have drinking water and our health has improved.
Water is life!"
