Zambia Water Project, May 2009

College of Information and Technology senior and Marshall Engineers Without Borders (EWB) student club president Nathaniel Stansberry recently returned from a two week trip to Simwatchala, Zambia. The Marshall EWB student club has been selected to work on a project that aims to plan, design, and build a small reservoir in a rural community in southern Zambia to help alleviate chronic water shortages during the annual dry season.

The dam that will be constructed will ensure that water is available for growing additional off-season crops and for providing water to villager’s livestock. During Mr. Stansberry’s visit to Simwatchala he attended a local community planning meeting, performed a preliminary survey and site assessment of the land set aside for construction of the reservoir, and developed contacts in the project area and at the University of Zambia in the capital Lusaka. A larger group of five Marshall students and two faculty members plan to return to Zambia in August for detailed surveying of the dam location, gathering local hydrologic data, and soils testing.

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Stansberry traveling from the Zambian capital of Lusaka to the village of Simwatchala in the cab of a mining truck.	Traditional huts constructed of termite-mound bricks and thatched roofs.
Simwatchala village girls helping Stansberry carry his bags from the nearby dirt road to his hut.	Stansberry attending a planning meeting with villagers from Simwatchala. Building a reservoir is a goal that the village has had for quite some time, and these villagers have been organized into several sub-committees to work on the project, and meet regularly to discuss their progress.
While in the Simwatchala area, Stansberry traveled to a nearby village’s small reservoir to see an example of what is hoped can be built in Simwatchala.	Stansberry standing in front of the small reservoir at a nearby village.
Children taking a break from their studies at the Jokwe Community School, a facility constructed in partnership with an academic organization in Sweden.	Stansberry’s sleeping area in Simwatchala.
The hut built by the villagers to house people working on the reservoir project.	Throughout Zambia are reminders of the hard life and short lifespan faced by people burdened by hunger, AIDS, and poverty.
Student dormitories at the University of Zambia in Lusaka.