Who is WaterAfrica
WaterAfrica is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Lake Oswego, Oregon dedicated to raising awareness and funds for WASH “Water, Sanitation & Hygiene” programs in Zambia through WorldVision. After a WorldVision Zambia trip with Lake Grove Presbyterian Church, Bill and Diane Savage formed the organization to bring together like-minded individuals in the community that desired to do something to help. Since 2006 WaterAfrica has raised $3 million to provide water access to 60,000 villagers in Zambia.
WaterAfrica’s Current Goal
World Vision set the goal of “Finishing the Job” in Zambia by 2025. As a significant partner in this work, we are committed to helping to achieve this ambitious goal. The “Finish the Job” campaign is creating the necessary infrastructure and community training to provide clean water access to every single rural village in Zambia where World Vision works. The multiple mile-long walks women make numerous times per day to collect water must end.
WaterAfrica is looking to raise $1.4 million by 2025.
Raising Awareness
The WaterAfrica community is engaged in raising awareness about the lack of water infrastructure in rural Africa. This is accomplished through multiple channels.
Walk4Water
The WaterAfrica community comes together every spring for Walk4Water. In 2022, the community celebrated our 15th annual walk. Traditionally, the walk is held in Foothills Park in Lake Oswego. Each walker carries an empty bucket for the first half of the walk, and it gets filled up with what they can manage for the return walk. The immediate weight of water is felt by all and the reality can hit hard that young girls and women are doing this every day in order to survive.
The Walk4Water is a family-friendly event and a great place to educate the next generation about how fortunate they are and what it means to give back and help others. It is a wonderful time to gather and share with the community at large the work that WorldVision, our partner on the ground in Zambia, is doing every day.
Connecting with educators and school-age children is an integral part of the WaterAfrica mission to raise awareness. Get on our email list to stay informed about next year’s walk.
Wine2Water
The Wine2Water event held in the late summer to early fall is a time to celebrate the wonderful work that is going on and meet with friends for a beautiful evening at the Monte Ferro Winery in Lake Oswego. Generally, a representative from WorldVision joins us for the evening to share significant updates about what is going on in Zambia.
Raising Funds
WaterAfrica is very pleased to have raised and sent close to $3 million dollars for WorldVision projects in Zambia. These funds go directly into water infrastructure & training programs in the country so that the communities can use and maintain the water resource on their own going forward.
If you are curious where your money goes when you donate to WaterAfrica, here are a few examples:
Where Your Donations Go
On average it costs $50 to provide water, along with sanitation and hygiene training, to a person in Zambia for life.
It costs $15,000 to install a water well for a village in Zambia
It costs $50,000 to install a mechanized water well in Zambia that can provide access for 1,000 people.
Transforming Lives in Zambia
This is the end goal for why we are raising awareness and raising funds. Delivering access to clean water for villagers in Zambia has an immediate dramatic effect on their daily routines and lives. As soon as the multiple daily walks to fetch water are eliminated young girls and women have time to pursue more fruitful activities each day. Going to school becomes a reality. The chance to start a business, take on a job, or expand a family garden is no longer out of the question, these become viable opportunities with the time that is gained by having access to water close to home.
WASH Generates New Opportunities
WorldVision Zambia has been implementing its ZWASH program (Zambia Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Programme) since 2009. Access to clean water for drinking and cooking is a major driver in solving the water problems in Zambia. However, this is not the only area of concern. Access to flowing water means there is much more water available to families for daily cleaning and washing. Medical clinics now have access to clean water improving the healthcare of everyone in the community.
Historically women have been required to bring their own water when giving birth. Bringing water infrastructure directly to the clinics improves the well-being of both the mother and the child.
An integral component of the Zambia WASH program is the solutions being installed at schools. The installation of handwashing stations at schools with the accompanying education on hand washing and basic hygiene is designed to train the next generation of Zambians to reduce cases of diarrhea and diseases that fester in unsanitary conditions.
Building Community in Lake Oswego, Oregon
WaterAfrica is committed to building a community of individuals in the greater metro area dedicated to helping it achieve its mission. We invite you to come out to the next Walk4Water or Wine2Water event and get signed up for our community newsletter to stay engaged with what is happening in Zambia.
If you have a school-age child that is interested in a special project we’d love to hear from you. We have engaged with younger children in scout groups and older kids looking for projects to meet the needs of community service guidelines. The work being done at WaterAfrica with WorldVision is an easy way to open a child’s eyes to the wonderful blessings we have and the talents we have to share with the world. We look forward to hearing from you and having you part of the WaterAfrica community.
