Solar-powered water system transforms health clinic in Zambia

Regina, 29, is a former sponsored child from Rufunsa District, Zambia. Her former sponsor recently raised money to install a solar-powered water system at the local health clinic. Today, this system supplies clean water to Regina’s entire community.

For as long as Regina could remember, the health clinic in her rural community in Zambia had never had easy access to water. There was a borehole about 300 yards from the clinic, but nurses, doctors and other staff were constantly having to haul the water their patients needed – for washing hands, for drinking, for doing every task you can imagine needs to be done in a health care setting – hour by hour, bucket by bucket, from the borehole to the clinic.

As stressful as it sounds, this isn’t unusual in this part of the world. In fact, in the Rufunsa District where Regina lives, only about 50% of people have access to a reliable supply of clean, safe water. The district experiences erratic water availability, particularly during the dry season, due to the drying up of its primary water sources – wells and hand-pump boreholes – which supply about 90% of the community’s water needs.

Regina, now 29, knows firsthand about the dire need for clean water access in health care settings. In fact, she grew up as a sponsored child in ChildFund’s programs, and her sponsor, Joan Palmquist, helped put her through nursing school. When Joan came to visit Regina during an unforgettable 2023 trip to Zambia and learned of the water situation at the clinic, it was a turning point for Regina and the entire community.

Bringing clean water to Zambia

After returning to the United States, Joan decided it was high time to do something about the water – so she raised money among her networks to install a new, solar-powered water system at the health clinic. The system includes a water tank, solar-powered pump, three solar panels, tank stand and pipelines, as well as two taps.

“The water project has really impacted the health facility staff and the entire community positively,” says clinic manager Jacqueline Manchishi. “Health facility staff are able to wash their hands immediately after attending to patients – unlike before, when they used to struggle to pump water from the hand pump.” She says the maternity ward has especially benefited from the supply of fresh, clean water.

Beyond just making life a whole lot easier for the clinic staff and patients, the water system’s location near a main road allows anyone in the community – and even out-of-country travelers from places like Malawi and Mozambique – to access water easily and safely for drinking, bathing and other essentials. As a result, the new water system is expected to drive down rates of waterborne disease by about 64%.

The project isn’t finished yet, though. Water kiosks will also soon be installed at a nearby preschool and community office.

As for Joan, she is simply grateful for the opportunity to help.

“I had no idea what impact a relatively small amount could make in changing the health and safety of an entire community,” she says. “I’m so proud of Regina and the young woman she has become."