A fresh start

Agnes Matibya's life has dramatically changed since her village has had a clean water supply.

Credit: WaterAid / Brent Stirton

"I am very thankful and very happy to have the water project in Kashishi because we have been getting water from the Taroma water hole, which was a very long way from home," explains Agnes Matibya, who, since the completion of the WaterAid project is the pump caretaker for Kashishi village in Tabora, Tanzania.

She continues, "A woman can only carry one bucket on each trip, so sometimes I had to pay 50 shillings for people who have a bicycle.

"I used to get headaches and chest pains because the bucket was so heavy and I used to only do one trip as I was so tired. We used one bucket for drinking and I used unsafe water from an open source shared with animals for cleaning clothes and my home. If I needed more water, I would have to buy it.

"When I was pregnant, collecting water was a big problem. I had to collect it when I was nine months pregnant and I suffered; I had chest and leg pains, so I couldn't move. My stomach would hurt, so I had to stand for a while until it passed.

"It was hard when I gave birth because my husband had to collect water, or I had to ask my neighbours for help. When my husband fetched water, he would only get one or two buckets so I couldn't use much water. We had no water to drink and my husband and children would go to bed without washing.

"In Kashishi village, women who have just had a baby use water to wash with, so it is worse for their family because they have no water. My husband and children had to suffer - they had to suffer because of me. I felt so sad, but there was nothing I could do.

"Before I could never wash my children's clothes. If I wanted to, I would take them to Taroma to wash them and carry the wet clothes back. I couldn't wash my children's clothes very often, so they would get scabies a lot. They also suffered from malaria and diarrhoea often.

Agnes with her children.

Credit: WaterAid / Jane Scobie

"Now I have water in the village, I am very clean; I have water to drink and I can wash my family's clothes. I can cook and I am relaxed because I do not need to minimise water. Now I am a pump attendant and I sell water. People pay 20 shillings for 20 litres of water. With this salary, I can buy any food I want.

"Instead of collecting and chopping firewood, I can pay someone to do it for me. I can buy charcoal and I have money to go to the milling machine to grind flour from my maize, which I make 'ugali' (maize meal) with.

"With the time I have free from collecting water from Taroma, I can talk and play with my children and I am happy. My children don't get so many diseases and I can wash them. My husband really appreciates and respects me now. He is very happy because I can buy any kind of food he wants to eat. If he has no money, I can still buy food. We are really at peace now.

"I am thankful to everyone who has supported our water project. I wish you luck and happiness. I have nothing to give you, but I thank you very much for your help."