Trainees Speak Up! by Mthunzi Ndlovu

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

Hi, this is Mthunzi Ndlovu. I'm 25 years old,am part of Swaziland Safe Water Ministry. I'm an Anglican, born again Christian, who is willing to serve the Lord with all my strength, my mind and my power, and my heart. I'm willing to work for this ministry to serve the lives of the struggling citizens of Swaziland. I'm so honored to have this opportunity to chat with you over there in Iowa. I have developed a love of the Iowans for the love that Greg, Dan & Melody have shown to us. So, we will be praying for the diocese at large and for you as we are doing this project of water purifying. Just to share with you what I mean by the love that they have shown: they have taught us to make the chlorinators with patience, then with their very good interrelating skills and their support in everything we are doing in Swaziland. May the Almighty God bless you all and I hope one day I will reach Iowa and just experience that portion of love that three of your colleagues have shown to us. Thank you.

Trainees Speak Up! by Dumsani Matsebula

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

HI I'm Dumsani Matsebula; I'm a 25 year old guy. I'm a fully devoted Christian. I recieved a calling from the Almighty God, so I'm doing some preparations to go the college of transfigurations to further studies on theology so that I can be ordained to be a priest. I'm very happy with the project making chlorine and learning how to make the chlorinator. We have good time with the team from Iowa [Greg,Dan & Melody]. This is a very good & helpful project in the community & throughout the kingdom of Swaziland. People are very happy with it. May the Almighty God bless you. Lastly, may you please help me with some funds to do my studies in Theology as I mentioned above. Thank may God bless u. 'SHALOM'.

Trainees Speak Up! by Nothemba Khoza

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

Hi..I am Nothemba Khoza, 28 years of age and recently engaged. I am a very devoted Christian and a very active member of the youth. I am so grateful about this initiative from our friends, brothers and sisters from Iowa. It has been so exciting for me be a part of this wonderful project. It is an opportunity for me to give back to my community which is something that is in my heart. We are having a blessed time with Melody, Dan and Greg. They are such wonderful people to us. I am so grateful to The Almighty God for them. So far the communities we have visited (Sigangeni & St. Mathias)have responded positively to the Safe Water Chlorination project and that makes it much more exciting. As a group we are encouraged by such a response. I'm looking forward to our next visits. Chiao!

A Circle of Good People at St. Matthias by Melody Rockwell

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

Another cool day in Swaziland. Even as we descended from the Mbabane highlands, the weather remained damp, chilling. We'd dressed to stay warm & today, we were on time, in fact, a bit early. Rev. Orma Mavimbela soon arrived and greeted us with her golden, heart-filled laughter. Orma & I formed a circle of chairs for the chlorinator presentation audience. As I kept adding chairs, she said, "Do you expect so many?" I replied, "I hope for many." She laughed and gave me a sympathetic hug. When the presentation started, only four people from the St. Matthias community, including Orma, were seated, ready to listen. Orma nodded and winked at me. But, as the session continued... more and more people arrived and they were quickly brought up to speed. Even these newcomers participated in making chlorine! It was my turn to wink at Orma as I brought more chairs to the circle.

As had happened yesterday, the session was conducted almost entirely in Siswati. Alfred Sipho Dlamini quietly translated for the three Iowans seated in an outer ring of chairs, so that we could get the gist of what was happening. Again, we were spectators at a very lively discussion. Greg Stout commented later that he was so proud of the trainees, how they had made this project their own. He said that when he'd done chlorinator demonstrations in Swaziland in 2007, he might get one question per session. But, he noted that today, the Swazi team received many questions and had a good ongoing discussion for almost two hours. He said, "I am really impressed!"

On their side, the Swaziland Safe Water Ministry (SSWM) team members were pleased with response from the members of the community gathered at St. Matthias. Dumsane Matsebula and Nothemba Khoza agreed that they were well-received and that the people there were "very interested and very happy about the demonstration." Alfred noted that he was proud of people in his birthplace; how they were conscious that even though they are on municipal water, it may not be clean. He said, "They have a real health consciousness."

Mthunzi Ndlovu chimed in, "They posed very positive questions... not ones of fear. They asked about the practical ways to use chlorine, particularly, for the treatment of their water supply." Mthunzi noted that at first, those gathered were "more interested in chlorine than in the chlorinator." Later, they expressed interest in how the chlorinator worked to make chlorine.

We learned that the chlorinator given to the people of St. Matthias by Greg Stout with the support of the Diocese of Iowa in 2007 was in turn given to a neighboring community that does not have a protected water source. The St. Matthias area has a municipal water system that comes from a protected spring, and so the people there felt that others needed the chlorinator more than they did. The community with chlorinated water has experienced no diarrhea or cholera since they started using the chlorinator. This led the St. Matthias community to wonder about whether their water is as safe as they'd thought.

The water system they use has three storage tanks -- one drains into a second tank and that one drains into the third tank from which the water is taken for drinking and cooking use. The people discussed with the SSWM team which tank to chlorinate, and how they could be sure that effective chlorination of the water had taken place when the level of water continuously changes in each tank. Different options were considered, and then the circle of Swazi people at St. Matthias decided that it would be safer to chlorinate their water in water containers in their own households; that way they would have control over the level of chlorine in their water. Jabu Mnisi said, "This was their own decision. They resolved among themselves the way the chlorination would be handled in their community." Jubu pointed out that the St. Matthias gathering had decided to use chlorine from the neighboring community as a test run, and then if they feel they need a chlorinator of their own, they will place an order with the SWWM team. A woman was selected to coordinate this community chlorination effort, and the team will follow up with her in the coming weeks.

Another good partnership formed and another good day! Tomorrow, we head west once again... hopefully, more happy water chlorinating, community-building trails!

p.s. Dan Rockwell is working with the trainees to take water samples at each place we visit and test them for coliform. Yesterday, Dan took a sample from the water pump used by the primary school of 400 students. The sample tested positive for coliform. Today, Dan took a sample from the tap in the St. Matthias Church. Stay tuned for results!

Alfred Sipho Dlamini says Sanibona!

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

The Iowa team, Melody, Dan & Greg, have made such a great impact on the Anglican Church members, who have had contact with them. Most importantly, they have truly supported the great mission of being 'fishers of men' through ensuring that we are one in Christ.

We have had four Swazi trainees on the chlorinators. And, everyday they are gaining confidence in telling others about the importance of clean water and how to make the chlorinators. The response from the members of the congregations up to now has been more than we had expected. We have only visited two congregations so far. However, we are confident now that we shall be successful in the other congregations. The good thing is that most people have become very aware of the importance of having clean drinking water, because of the many water borne diseases.

Also, we have managed to resuscitate the culture of community concern about every neighbor getting clean water. Thus, these chlorinators are not just for the Anglican Church members, but also for the whole community. This project is helping also in community coherence, thanks to the Diocese of Iowa for having technologies that can simplify the purification of water.

Spring Rains, Lively Spirits at Esigangeni! by Melody Rockwell

Swaziland Safe Water Project -- sponsored by substantial grants from the 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 Diocese of Iowa, parishes and individuals...

Misty valleys, cold drizzling rains greeted the Swaziland Safe Water Ministry team as it headed out on its first mission, September 28, 2009. The 10-passenger van was packed full. The windows steamed up. We bumped along dirt roads west from Mbabane to Esigangeni Primary School. Through the foggy van windows, we saw huge rock outcroppings like giant hippos partially submerged in a greening river of hillsides.

Damp cold chilled all who waited for us in Fr. Charles' Kunene's parish, but the team was warmly welcomed though almost an hour late in arriving. Early into the session, we discovered that we were actually one year late! The people of Esigangeni had waited for two hours last year for the Iowans to arrive and then were told that the 2008 mission team had gone elsewhere. When we were late arriving yesterday, the group began to despair that they were to be passed by once again. Miracle of cell phones: they called Mbabane & learned that we had left the Thokoza Center and were on our way!

Irene Skhosana, President of the Mothers Union, Diocese of Swaziland, embraced each of us as we emerged from the van into a swirl of students in maroon and navy uniforms. We were ushered into a church and introduced to about twenty parishioners, who were active participants in HIV/AIDS outreach, Mothers Union and youth programs. We were impressed by the intentional guidance of the older women to recruit young men and women into leadership roles, including the chlorination program. We are thankful to Alfred Sipho Dlamini for the way in which he skillfully and respectfully led this introductory phase of the session.

Irene told us how excited and thankful they were to have us finally come to them with a chlorinator. The people of Esigangeni explained that they had been waiting for over ten years for a promised water system to be installed. There are some wells in the area, but most of the people rely on river water. Diarrhea is a chronic problem. They know that the water they drink is not safe and many try to treat their water with bleach. Some use water guard tablets, which are expensive and not affordable for the general public, and when they cannot get the bleach or tablets, they are forced to drink dirty water. This community realized they have a problem with their water and wanted to do something about it.

The first time out, the new trainees hit a homerun in delivery of their message. Most of the discussion was in Saswati, so we Iowans could not make head or tails of what was being said, but knew from the active, respectful discussion that questions were being asked and well-answered. At one point, Greg Stout, one of the trainers said, "I feel very good right now. I feel that I'm not needed." Yes, I agreed. It was obvious that the archdeaconry trainees (Jabu, Nothemba, Mthunzi & Dumsane) were making the case not only for how the chlorinator works, but how it can be effectively used after the team had gone back to Mbabane. And this time it was different from the Iowa chlorinator demonstrations and presentations, because the Esigangeni community will have members of a Swazi team they can call on if they run into any difficulty using the chlorinator later on. Yebo!

In turn, the Swaziland Safe Water Ministry team members were impressed with the church members plan of action: the Mothers Union will organize and teach the young people how to chlorinate their water, and designated a young woman to be the coordinator. All the girls, the homemakers and future homemakers in the community, will be involved in this program. They also intend that the whole community benefit from the chlorinator's use, not just the Anglicans. The group also had immediate plans to demonstrate the chlorinator at a Mothers Union meeting this coming Thursday, a youth meeting on Saturday, and a Health Motivators meeting on Monday. Yebo! Yebo!

Today, we head for St. Matthias... Rev. Orma Mavimbela's parish. More postings soon!

Swaziland Safe Water Ministry -- an update (finally!) by Melody Rockwell

Swaziland Safe Water Project -- sponsored by substantial grants from the 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 Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, parishes and individuals...

Yesterday was truly a celebration in Swaziland!

Celebrating the completion of the first week of training with Iowans Dan Rockwell & Greg Stout (left to right) Alfred Sipho Dlamini (Diocesan Social Development Officer), Mthunzi Ndlovu (Western Archdeaconry), Jabu Mnisi (All Saints Cathedral Archdeaconry), Dumsane Matsebula (Southern Archdeaconry), Thuli Ncongwane & Nothemba Khoza (Eastern Archdeaconry)

and Inhle Mdlalose (HIV/AIDS Coordinator).

Greg and Dan completed an intensive week of training seven Swazis in chlorinator construction & demonstration, and water quality monitoring. The students gained skills in sawing, drilling, gluing, welding and testing for chlorine levels as well as coliform incidence, and learning about the importance of hygiene in keeping the water safe to drink and reducing illnesses, such as diarrhea.

Together, the team designed strategies for implementing and monitoring chlorinator usage in their regions and established a vision for creating safe drinking water throughout Swaziland, and in so doing, revealing the love of God for the people and their wellbeing. They named their project: Swaziland Safe Water Ministry.

After morning tea yesterday, we bid fond farewells to the students as they headed home for the weekend. The students will return on Monday to begin four weeks of field work throughout Swaziland.

We rejoiced over the internet connection established in Alfred Sipho Dlamini's new office at the Thokoza Centre. A. Sipho is the newly-appointed Anglican Diocese of Swaziland Social Development Officer and our main contact in Swaziland for companion projects.

We were most grateful, too, for A Sipho's connecting the Swaziland Safe Water Ministry with the national Swaziland Rural Water Department. This connection will give vital support for the project. The trainees successfully showed the Rural Water Department representative the use of the chlorinator and answered her questions after only three days training! She, in turn, invited them to demonstrate the chlorinator next Friday, October 2, for representatives of UNICEF & the Rural Water Department with the hope of integrating the chlorinator project with the water programs being implemented throughout Swaziland. Yebo!

In the afternoon, Dan & I successfully negotiated securing cash enough from the ATMs in the Mbabane Mall (no small feat!) so that we can pay for petrol & other expenses next week... Then, we celebrated my 67th birthday at a lovely French restaurant, the Finesse... a quiet oasis in the midst of the hubbub of bustling crowds of Friday afternoon shoppers.

I will be posting more often now that we have reliable, nearby access to the internet. For now, I send my thanks to all of you who have been praying and supporting this mission. I ask your prayers especially for our trainees as they head into the field next week to 'teach' their peers about chlorination & safe drinking water. They are keenly feeling Jesus' pronouncement about 'prophets in their own country.' Your good wishes for the trainees' confidence in getting their message across and successfully establishing good groundwork for their project are appreciated!

Touching ground in Swaziland, embracing dear friends...

Swaziland Safe Water Project -- sponsored by substantial grants from the 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 Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, parishes and individuals...

Our travels to Swaziland went smoothly... long flight, but no delays. All the luggage arrived & we were greeted as we came through customs by an affable young man named Justice, who ferried us to the Emerald House. We were warmly embraced by Alfred Sipho Dlamini, the Diocese of Swaziland grants officer, who is coordinating all things Swazi for the SwaziWater Project. He's thought of all the details, but also sees the big picture of what this can mean in terms of a community building process.

The only difficulty has been finding components (especially pvc pipe) for the chlorinators in Mbabane. Greg has been creative in figuring out a way that parts can be jerryrigged & spent most of this morning building a sturdy workbench. Go Greg!

Tomorrow night, we are expecting four trainees to arrive for a welcoming supper & on Monday morning, Greg & Dan will launch into training four PLUS A. Sipho AND Inhle, the HIV/AIDS coordinator.

More later. Am trying to figure out this whole system & adding photos... but wanted you all to know how thankful we are for your prayers of encouragement and support... that we've arrived safely & all is well. We've been beautifully welcomed by Bishop Meshack and his wife Lucy, and are very impressed and grateful about the serious consideration the SwaziWater Project is being given by all we meet.

Blessings of peace from Swaziland, Melody

Waiting Game

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

Greg Stout & Dan Rockwell relaxing in the
Detroit-Wayne County Airport ... on the way,
wait, on the way, wait, on the way, wait.... then
to Johannesburg. Yebo!



So far, so very good... a little fog early this morning on the way to the Cedar Rapids airport. Smooth check in at 4:30 a.m. & then reading, chatting, waiting for 6:30 flight to Detroit... breakfast, then waiting, reading, suduko, calls, writing thank you cards, walking... Greg rode the train. Flight to Atlanta... smooth, studying Siswati phrases, etc. Late lunch in the airport food court with schmaltzy piano music accompaniment & now blogging. We are delighted that it looks like we will have a direct flight from Atlanta to Joburg... No search, delay & fumigation in Senegal this time. Thanks to so many of you for your messages, blessings & prayers as we arrive at the Atlanta jumping off point to cross the Atlantic & enter Africa! We feel cacooned in your caring embrace! Next blog (hopefully) from Joburg! PS. Greg will also try to update his blog on http://www.swimforhim.info/ under the Waterblog heading.