David Agnew: Mary and I were befriended by a young professional couple who lived outside Maseru and invited us to dinner. After dinner they asked if we would drive them to get water. We traveled a short distance to the local school, which had a well in the center of a clearing, and drove quite near to it in the dark night. The sound of our Land Cruiser, or perhaps its lights, caused an exodus of several dozen rats from the well. Our host took his containers and filled them without comment or any indication that this was unexpected.
Plenty Canada Report, Winter 1983: Many local villages have made requests for help in building water systems. At Ha Makoae, a village water committee has been elected and two trainees are working with Plenty water technicians to construct a gravity-fed drinking water system for their village. The trainees will be responsible for the maintenance of the system after construction is completed. Other villagers have volunteered to help with construction of the system, which now has a capped spring. The crew is preparing to build a reservoir, lay pipe and receptacles to the village, and, later, install irrigation systems to village gardens. Villagers will be given instruction in how to maintain high levels of sanitation, as well as being taught why this is important. Water technicians who helped build the VTC water system continue to learn new skills. Teaching aids include booklets in Sesotho, visual aids, and skits.
Mwana Bermudes: Nako Mpana is one of our successfully-trained local Basotho, whose fresh energy and will to get things done in his home country made the water department one of the Project’s main successes.
Mary Agnew: The Plenty women were the ones who did the sanitation and nutrition education parts of the project. This gave us many opportunities to meet with Basotho women in surrounding villages, trying to help them understand the importance of such simple things as keeping the water supply clean, burying feces, and keeping flies off the food.
Many of the villages had no latrines and people used the dongas (deep gullies) as toilets since the treeless terrain provided no privacy. One aspect of our project was helping build outhouses. We also taught basic nutrition and taught the women how to make rehydrating fluid for babies with dysentery.
When we traveled to the outlying villages to do teaching, we brought with us Lineo, a Basotho woman who lived at Motsemocha and was an integral part of our crew. She would educate us in the proper social etiquette, help us gain acceptance by the women in the villages, and act as translator. We were always greeted with kindness and gratitude.