The Transformative Effect of a Household Water Connection
Mzee Bin Juma lives with his two wives and a grandson, who is a form two student.
Mzee Bin Juma with his second wife and his grandson.
For many years, the Bin Juma household faced the harsh reality of lacking access to clean and safe water. Like others in Chiuta Village, their household of four struggled daily. However, in 2024 the DMDO brought welcome relief through its WASH+ intervention:
Clean water became accessible through a smart card system, ensuring fair usage.
It was a major milestone for a community long burdened by water scarcity.
But this solution did not come without challenges to Bin Juma family:
The family had to walk over 70 meters daily, carrying heavy buckets and jerry cans.
For elderly members like Bin Juma and his wives, the task was physically draining.
Their grandson, being a student, couldn’t assist much due to his school schedule.
At times, they had to pay others to help fetch water.
Water usage was limited, often at the expense of important daily needs.
As a result, each family member used only the average of 12 litres of water per day, below recommended levels for a healthy lifestyle.
Bringing Water Home – A Life-Changing Decision
Bin Juma’s wife fetching water at their home
In 2025, recognising the loss of time, money and energy, the family decided to install a private water connection at their household. The DMDO donated a household prepaid metre as part of our household connection pilot and the household paid approximately $50 for the connection infrastructure (pipes and fittings) and labour.
The household connection has been transformative:
Water is now available just outside their home, anytime they need it.
No more long walks or expenses to pay for water collection.
They now save time and focus on farming and other activities.
The Bin Juma household’s daily water use has increased significantly as they no longer have to limit themselves in bathing and other hygiene activities.
“We used to struggle fetching water from the DP every day, especially given our age. But since bringing water home, life has become much easier. We bathe more than twice a day and clean as often as we like.” Bin Juma Shared
New Possibilities from a Household Connection
With reliable access to water, the family’s daily life has transformed, with regular bathing and laundry, household cleaning and better sanitation and hygiene practices and new sources of income.
“We no longer spend money asking others for help. Even I, as an elder, can now draw water freely and bathe whenever I like.” Bin Juma explain
Sanitation and Hygiene
The Bin Juma household had already responded to the DMDO sanitation marketing and improved their latrine to have a washable slab. The convenient and unlimited water afforded by the household connection means that:
Water is used for flushing and cleaning regularly.
The surrounding area is much more hygienic, lowering disease risks.
Handwashing after every use is now a comfortable norm.
Income from Water Access
After gaining access to water at home Bin Juma converted one of his two homes into a guesthouse. Each guest pays $2.67 per night, and he now earns over $15.24 per month from this extra income. He explains:
“This has only been possible because we now have water at home. Even when we host guests, there’s no worry about water.” Bin Juma shared
Looking Ahead – Water for Farming
As the cashew season nears, the family is preparing to:
Spray pesticides on their trees using their own water.
Begin a vegetable garden near their house to increase income, something impossible in the past due to water scarcity.
The Power of Water at Home
The story of Bin Juma and his family is more than just about water access. It’s about:
Dignity – Elderly family members can now care for themselves.
Health – Sanitation and hygiene have greatly improved.
Opportunity – Water has opened doors to farming and income generation.
Time – Tasks that once took hours are now completed in minutes.
Bringing water home is not just a step forward for one family, it’s a leap toward healthier, stronger and more empowered communities.
DMDO’s Ambition for Household Connections
The household connection prepaid metre allows for transparency and digitised payment.
Household prepaid metres can allow household taps to be provided at scale. This is because they provide transparency and avoid revenue loss (more traditional analogue metres meant collecting payment from households after use and many did not pay). We believe this can open the door for lending to finance household connections because (a) water prepayment can be directly used to repay loans, automatically being allocated to debt service when prepayment is made; and (b) the loan can be repaid out of the increased consumption, which our pilot has shown to be significant.
This is why we have developed our Household Connection Financing product, about which we are in discussions with local banks.
