Institute Water for Africa
Three Africans are building the base for a hand pump.

Sustainable Water Projects In Africa

How we create access to clean water, sanitation and education

Welcome to the blog of our NGO, which is passionately committed to sustainable water projects in Africa. Millions of people in Africa have no access to clean drinking water, which has a serious impact on health, education and quality of life.

Our mission is to improve access to clean water in affected communities through adapted technologies and sustainable solutions. In our articles, you can find out more about the progress of our projects, the challenges we face and how you can help us create a better future for the people of Africa.

Portrait Nelly Mwale

How Drip Irrigation Changed Nelly’s Life

  • A village gains new opportunities throug
Nelly Mwale is one of many farmers in rural Zambia who received a small plot of land equipped with drip irrigation. Before the project, farming depended entirely on the rainy season, making harvests uncertain and income unreliable. With the introduction of drip irrigation, everything changed. Water now reaches the plants directly and efficiently, even during dry periods. Nelly can grow...

Read more: How Drip Irrigation Changed Nelly’s Life

Ripe tomatoes in a field

The first harvest after eight weeks

  • Irrigation creates a future in Chideza
Just eight weeks after sowing, the first harvest was ready: tomatoes, maize, peanuts, pumpkins, okra and beans. For the people of Chideza, this is a completely new experience – a harvest outside the usual season. Previously, it was only possible to harvest once a year, usually in March. But even that was becoming increasingly uncertain due to climate change. Rainfall was irregular and harvests...

Read more: The first harvest after eight weeks

Green beans growing in a field

From dry farmland to green fields: irrigation transforms five hectares of land

  • Vegetables thrive in the dry season
After a short time, the five-hectare field has been completely transformed – where there used to be dry, brown earth, fresh green shoots are now sprouting. Farmers are planting beans, onions, tomatoes and maize – in the middle of the dry season, with temperatures between 35 and 40 degrees during the day. Just a few weeks ago, this would have been unthinkable. But now the first harvest is...

Read more: From dry farmland to green fields: irrigation...

Portrait of an African

Interview with farmers

  • Thank you for your support
In video clips on our YouTube channel, two of the participating farmers in Chideza, Zambia, talk about what they hope to achieve through the irrigation project. The project will fundamentally change their lives. Hunger will be a thing of the past. See for yourself: Interview with Doro Sakala: {YouTube}UYgLUip80C0{/YouTube} Interview with a second farmer: {YouTube}Sv4E2K-EvZU{/YouTube}

Read more: Interview with farmers

Drip irrigation pipes in the field

50 kilometres of drip lines

  • Irrigation system installed
In just five days, we worked with the local population to lay 50 kilometres of drip lines across five hectares of land. The pipes have small openings every 30 centimetres, from which water drips directly onto the plants – exactly where they grow. This targeted irrigation system achieves an efficiency of around 90%, whereas conventional methods often only achieve 25–60%. Thanks to this...

Read more: 50 kilometres of drip lines

Main pipes in the field to be irrigated

Supply lines laid in the field

  • Pipes for drip irrigation
The solar pumps have been in operation for four days and are successfully pumping water into the elevated tank. From there, we have laid the main pipes to the field over the past few days. As large quantities of water flow through these pipes, they have a diameter of 50 millimetres. They transport the water to the drip irrigation hoses, which supply the field with water evenly and efficiently.

Read more: Supply lines laid in the field

Two workers lower the solar pump into the borehole.
Einbau der Solarpumpe ins Bohrloch

Installation of solar pumps

  • Installation and cabling
About a week has passed since the solar system was fully installed. Digging the trenches took a long time because the ground was particularly hard due to the dry weather. But now the trenches are finished—60 cm deep and 50 cm wide. Today was finally the day: the water pipes could be laid to the two boreholes, as could the power supply from the solar system to the boreholes. After connecting the...

Read more: Installation of solar pumps

Man installing solar panels under a blue sky in a rural area of Africa, promoting renewable energy access.

Solar System and Field Preparation

  • 9.9 kW solar system for pumps
While the tractor was ploughing the approximately five-hectare area, work began on installing the new solar system. In future, it will supply 9.9 kilowatts of electricity for three pumps, ensuring reliable, sustainable irrigation. The most time-consuming task was pouring the foundations for the frame. The steel was then cut to size so that the modules are optimally aligned with the sun. After...

Read more: Solar System and Field Preparation

Tractor ploughs field in Africa

Tractor in action

  • Five hectares of land ploughed in two da
Yesterday and today, a tractor was used to plough our approximately five-hectare plot of land. The tractor was hired from a company – ploughing with oxen would be far too time-consuming on this area. After a short time on the first day, there was a technical problem, but a replacement tractor was quickly brought in. This meant that work could continue late into the night. After two days of...

Read more: Tractor in action

Water tank is lifted by crane onto an 8.4 metre high steel tower at night in Chideza, Zambia

Irrigation Project Chideza

  • 20,000 litre tank installed
After just two days of work, it's done: a new 20,000 litre water tank was completed yesterday in Chideza . The tank was delivered during the night and carefully lifted onto the 8.40 metre high steel structure using a crane. From there, the water flows by gravity directly into the nearby fields. Next, the water pipes will be laid to distribute the water efficiently across the fields....

Read more: Irrigation Project Chideza

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Beneficiary:
Institute Water for Africa e.V.
Bank:
Evangelische Bank Kassel
IBAN:
DE76 5206 0410 0005 0240 13
BIC:
GENO DE F1 EK1

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