UTO & WoH Grants Prime the Pump for SwaziWater Project

Swaziland Safe Water Project -- sponsored by substantial grants from Episcopal Church United Thank Offering Gift and Trust Fund and Episcopal Waters of Hope with generous donations from the Iowa Safe Water International Ministries and the Iowa Episcopal diocese, parishes and individuals...

In August 2007, Greg Stout traveled throughout rural Swaziland with his wife Vickie, Father Charles Kunene (Swazi priest) and Tim Bascom distributing 15 chlorinators and training people on their use to decontaminate water. On departure, Greg thanked Bishop Meshack Mabuza for the gracious hospitality that the three Iowans had received, and said, "I probably will never see you again." Bishop Meshack quickly responded, "You will come back to Swaziland. You need to return to teach us how to make the chlorinators."

Vickie Stout, Greg Stout & Dan Rockwell following a planning session for the mission trip.

On September 14, 2009, Greg and Vickie Stout and Dan Rockwell will leave for six weeks to implement the training project that has been long awaited in Swaziland. This mission trip became possible, because at its July 2009 Triennial Convention, United Thank Offering (UTO)awarded a grant of $7,025 to the Diocese of Iowa to help fund the chlorinator building and water monitoring training project in the Anglican Diocese of Swaziland. And, in Iowa, more than matching funds from Waters of Hope, SwaziCompanions throughout Iowa and the One World One Church Commission clinched the deal. Melody Rockwell will accompany the team in a non-grant funded capacity to provide logistical, accounting and communications support.

Greg and Vickie Stout and Dan Rockwell bring years of experience with chlorinators and water quality work to the training program, and plan to work closely with and through the Diocese of Swaziland HIV/AIDS network of 14 Neighborhood Care Points, which serve nearly 900 orphans and other vulnerable children, and 200 adults. The training tools and materials provided through this grant will enable our companion diocese to make and distribute chlorinators to serve a critical need in Swaziland, and generate income selling the units throughout southern Africa. It is hoped that soon, the income can be used to support a small, but capable Diocese of Swaziland water resources staff.

In addition to making the chlorinators and learning to teach others how to use them, the water resources staff will be trained to monitor the continued use of the chlorinators and evaluate their practical effect through regular testing. This type of consistent, reliable monitoring is simply not possible to accomplish through intermittent, ten-day stays by Iowa mission teams.

A basic water chemistry training course for the diocesan water resources staff will equip them to monitor the performance of the chlorinators, perform bacterial tests on water supplies and take steps to prevent fecal contamination of stored drinking water at the Neighborhood Care Points and other points determined by the Diocese of Swaziland.

The water resources staff will also learn to assess and recommend alternatives for providing sufficient water and safe water storage, including the distribution of individual closable water storage containers, well development, rainwater collection and storage, and tankered water in areas of unrelenting drought.

In Bishop Meshack Mabuza's endorsement of the grant application, he noted: "I assure you [UTO grant review committee] that there is a real need, and that your positive consideration of this application will save lives." In a July 2009 e-mail following the announcement of the grant award, Bishop Meshack stated: "Three days the health department is issuing disturbing warnings regarding the possibility of an outbreak of cholera in the eastern part of the country where the supply of clean water is a challenge. We have no doubt that the project will answer a genuine need."