Many people in the Mubimbi community do not have sufficient access to safe drinking water. They are exposed to the risks of drinking contaminated water which can lead to all kinds of diseases, especially affecting young children. The drinking water system in the Mubimbi village dated from 1965 and urgently needed replacement. Especially during the 16 years of civil war in Burundi, the Mubimbi area was highly affected which resulted in unmaintained and destructed water resources.
In order to increase the overall welfare and health of the Mubimbi community, Terre des Jeunes and the HEINEKEN Africa Foundation constructed two new drinking water points and rehabilitated the existing water sources, reservoirs and taps in and around the village of Mubimbi inlcuding two primary schools.
In addition the project provided education programmes for the local community on the potential health dangers of drinking contaminated water. To secure the quality of the water and to ensure the sustainability of the water sources training was offered to community members on how to maintain the water sources properly. The Mubimbi Women's association played an important role in making the project a success. Often the women are the one’s collecting water and take care of the health and well-being of their family.
The project positively affects around 27,900 people within the community. By means of the training and education programmes, the maintenance for the coming years is secured. Even though Burundi currently suffers from severe social unrest the project was executed succesfully. This gave our Foundation the confidence to start a second project with Terre des Jeunes later this year.