Braintree Care Homes Give The Gift Of Water
The caring team at The New Deanery and St Mary’s Court care homes in Braintree gave a Christmas gift of clean water to a community in Africa by investing in a programme provided by the Africa Trust.
The homes have installed water coolers from AquAid, with a donation of £20 per year for each of the six coolers going to the Trust, a charity which installs fresh water wells in villages and schools.
A well sponsored by the Braintree care homes has just been completed to provide safe drinking water for a community in Zimbabwe.
Julia Clinton, CEO of Sonnet Care Homes, which runs the two Braintree homes, said: “Our staff and residents are pleased to have been able to support this life-saving charity. In the UK we take clean drinking water for granted and we are thrilled to see the photo of the well we sponsored which will much such a difference to the lives of people who are much less fortunate.”
Fern Shaw from AquAid Africa explained: “Through the contributions made by Sonnet Care Homes, an ‘Elephant Pump’ – a modified version of a water pump based on an age-old Chinese rope pulley system – has been built on their behalf in Zimbabwe.
“The pump is built by an experienced member of the Africa Trust in conjunction with local people from the community who are then taught how it works and how to repair it using local materials and parts.
“One pump supplies water for upwards of 300 people and due to the pump design and construction will continue to supply the community it serves for decades.
“Through this initiative, AquAid has donated more than £6 million to the Africa Trust, resulting in the supply of safe drinking water to more than two million people. It is thanks to the invaluable support we receive from customers such as Sonnet Care Homes.”
