Events industry charity Meetings Industry Meeting Needs (MIMN) is to fund the provision of safe water for an entire village in Zambia.

Working through Shrewsbury-based Village Water – a charity set up to provide hygiene education and sustainable water for rural villages in western Zambia – MIMN’s contribution of £4500 will enable a village to change their hygiene and sanitation practices and access safe water.

For this amount Village Water will establish a water and sanitation committee, provide hygiene and sanitation training for the whole village, construct basic sanitation facilities, construct a safe water point, train two community members to be hand pump minders enabling them to perform basic repairs and maintenance, and support the committee to establish a nominal payment scheme so there are funds for future repairs. The tangible outcomes of this project will allow around 170 people to access safe water and sanitation, a hand pump, household latrines, hand washing areas, pot racks, pestle and mortar stands, bath shelters, along with pump minder training and an established water and sanitation committee.

Only 60 per cent of the Zambia population has access to clean and safe water. Diarrhoea, particularly among children, is one of the leading causes of infant mortality in Zambia and a major contributor to malnutrition. The safe disposal of human excreta, coupled with basic hygiene practices such as hand washing with soap are key to breaking the cycle of disease transmission for diarrhoea, particularly amongst children under five. 

MIMN committee member Tim Chudley said: “Village Water does an amazing job to alleviate suffering and disease with measurable benefits for those most in need. In 2011 they were able to support water, sanitation and hygiene activities in 119 villages and three schools. We are delighted to make a contribution to their work.”