IN THE NEWS

With the water supply in place and operating well we now have one final task - 'the vegetable garden'. Over the next few months we will supply stakes and fencing, seeds and fertilizer and, last but not least, gardening tools. When complete the children will be able to generate a sustainable food source for their future.

I've just received the photos from the official opening of the project. All the pupils plus 130 locals attended including a number of education officials. I'm told it was a wonderful day with the highlight being the 'switch on' of the tap for cold fresh running water! Its truly amazing how something we all take for granted in the UK can still make such a huge difference in Africa even in the 21st Century.

As far as poverty goes in third world countries, one thing has become very clear to me while working on this project. The 'root' of poverty is not created through lack of food, clothing and medicine but purely through lack of water supply! Water we can drink; with water we can create energy; with water we can irrigate/grow crops which in turn can be sold to buy medicine, educational books and so on.

Well I've just returned from another amazing trip in Zimbabwe. My father Brian and a friend Ross from sunny Scotland joined me for the first couple of weeks. We spent some time with the guys from the workshop and even managed a couple of exciting games of volleyball with the artists which all proved very competitive indeed! We also visited a few stone art studios and came across some really stunning pieces of work that are now displayed on this website, so please take a look.

Our meeting at the school was the highlight of the trip. Brian and Ross had purchased 60 text books and we were overwhelmed by their gratitude as they put on a display of tribal dancing to show us their appreciation. It was truly wonderful and heartfelt by all concerned.

The borehole had already been sunk and the time had come to fit the pump, motor, water storage tank, pipe-work and taps. Initially the project was for irrigation purposes but on revisiting the school it became apparent that 'drinking water' was now an immediate issue as the well was bone dry! The children were having to bring a bottle of water from home everyday which in some cases was a 6/8 km walk. I instructed Herbert Nyakutsikwa, an experienced hydrologist to do the capacity test on the borehole and report back with the technical proposal for the school. The findings showed that we were able to generate approx 4000litres of water a day. This would enable us to supply drinking water for the 210 pupils/staff and irrigate an acre of garden for growing maize and vegetables - these can be sold locally and the proceeds used for further school equipment. The water yield was a little lower that expected especially for irrigation purposes but nevertheless a wonderful achievement for the school.

The whole system is now installed and the official opening is on Friday 10th November. Sadly I won't be there, but will be sent pictures soon, so watch this space!

Children ready to collect river water to irrigate their garden		Children irrigating their garden

Finally, after nine months of waiting the borehole has been sunk. I decided to launch this project after visiting my friend George Matangaduras' rural homeland area near Chivu.
Here I visited Mkuruva junior school where George was a pupil. Mr Vambe the head teacher kindly showed us around the classrooms where we met and chatted with the pupils. They were overwhelmed by our visit as the school is situated 34 miles from the main road down a dirt track and new faces are rare to see!

I was humbled by the children who basically have very little but really seemed to appreciate everything they did have. They dressed as smartly as they could in their worn out clothes and stood staring at me with a real sense of pride and passion about themselves.

After chatting a while it became evident that they had no food to eat on their lunch breaks due to lack of funds from their families. Remembering back to my school days and how hungry I would feel by lunchtime and how easily my concentration levels would drop if I didn't eat! I decided to launch this project.

My aim is to provide a sustainable food source for the school children. Sinking a borehole for irrigation of the land around the school will enable the pupils to grow their own fruit and vegetables, work as a team and educate themselves in growing crops at the same time.

Due to logistical issues the project has been slow to get of the ground but finally the borehole has been sunk and we are now in full swing! I am visiting for a month in October and look forward to helping the children prepare the land and plant the seeds.

I will update you all in November. If you wish to get involved in this project please e-mail me at eaton_john@hotmail.com

Weeks of preparation, six exhausting days, too much rain but a great success! Chelsea was a fantastic experience and we received a great response to our sculptures and the launch of the 'running ducks'. Thanks a million to all our customers.