For Mary Ann Kanini and her young daughter Cynthia, Maji na Ufanisi’s work to bring clean water and working drains to Matopeni is particularly important.
Living with HIV, Mary Ann and Cynthia need clean water to take the anti-retroviral treatment the government provides. And with compromised immune systems, both are vulnerable to water-borne diseases.
In her entry to our Matopeni diary, Mary Ann talks about her expectations of the project and how it will help her cope with her disease and manage her family on a daily basis.
July 2010
'My small daughter is HIV positive. Sometimes it is a problem to get drugs and food. When my CD4 count goes down (a sign that Mary Ann’s HIV is progressing), I am unable to work so my children can’t eat.
I have two sons, if one day I die, where are my children going to go to?' she explains. 'Sometimes it is a problem to get drugs and food. I am unable to work so my children can't eat.'
Mary Ann goes on to talk about how the water project, implemented by Christian Aid partner Arise and Shine, will help her keep herself and her family healthy.
'The water project will assist us so much' she says. 'When we carry the water we get tired because of our condition, the project will ease the burden. 'The project will assist us so much'
Also, people fetch water from so far away; the project will help reduce this distance. People also have to go and buy water and this project will help people save their money.
'We’ll get clean water which will reduce typhoid and people will be able to clean their houses. The environment will also be cleaner because of the water.'
'Because the project will be managed by Arise and Shine, I don’t have any worries about how it will be run.' Mary Ann explains.
'Arise and Shine are the ones who started campaigning for the drainage system, and they started the management even before we got assistance for constructing drains and bringing water.'
With £30,000 of funding raised during Christian Aid Week having now reached the Matopeni slum, work is getting well underway. To read more about our work there, click here.
