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!