We did it! Today we finished up everything we came here to do. The long days and nights and countless hours of hard work before and during the trip paid off. Today we were able to officially open the borehole well for use to the community by pumping the well we implemented and filling the first buckets of water for the community… And it’s a good thing, because from the beginning of the trip I have been saying that I won’t get on a plane until I am able to pump water out of the well in Mphero. This was one of those moments that you know you will remember for a lifetime.

I was so impressed and excited as I watched the water committee dismantle and put back together the pump yesterday after their maintenance training. They even know the names for all of the parts (which they have a song for!), what the functions of the parts are, and how to identify problems. The team knows this borehole well is in good hands and will not only be able to provide clean water to the current people in Mphero, but also many generations to come.

Today was a very unique experience for me. After working on this project for so long, it is so hard to imagine that this phase of the project in Mphero has come to an end. However, in the same day we opened the well for use in Mphero, we also visited Liti village, which completed the first assessment phase of the next project. Having these experiences both in the same day allowed me to really feel like this is not the end, but only the very beginning of a long and promising partnership with Mphero, Nkagula, Liti, Chilimani, and Kanyenda.

Goodbyes are never easy, and I know that the end of this trip does not really call for a goodbye between Mphero and EWB. Emma knew exactly the right words to say before we left today… “until next time.

Tionana Mawa,
Megan