OUR TEAM
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Tim Rosshirt | Founder/Executive Director
For over 32 years, Tim owned a cleaning and household management business, General Cleaning Service. In 2006, he raised funds and traveled to Zimbabwe on a humanitarian mission to feed the hungry. It didn't take long for him to realize that the most dire need in the majority of villages in Zimbabwe was access to safe water, and in 2009, he formed the Rosshirt Water For Africa Foundation. Since that time, he has worked diligently to raise funds for the drilling and maintenance of 12 wells that provide accessible and sanitary water to thousands of Zimbabweans every day. His focus is to continue growing the foundation through ongoing drilling and maintenance of wells, and providing provide safe water to thousands more people of Zimbabwe today and in the years to come.
Easton Moko | Executive Local Coordinator in Zimbabwe
Easton is the lead worker in Zimbabwe and point person for the foundation. Among his responsibilities are scouting and identifying new communities in need of clean water; coordinating and supervising well drilling, repairs and workers; establishing local well oversight committees and follow-up; routine administrative tasks; troubleshooting and more. In addition to his work for the foundation, Easton is Managing Director of Connect Mart LTD., a sports apparel and workwear company in Zimbabwe. He and his wife Emmanuela have two daughters.
Bashir Khan | Local Financial Manager
Bashi's duties with the foundation include oversight and management of quotes and purchases in Zimbabwe for parts needed to install and repair wells. He is the Managing Director of Action Breakdown Solutions, a recovery and towing company for disabled vehicles in Harare, Zimbabwe. Bashir and his wife, Alvira have two daughters.
Tinashe Mupitsa | Local Borehole Technician
Tinashe Mupitsa is our primary technician, with strong skills and experience in borehole installation, sanitation, maintenance and repairs.
Tinashe Mokko | Assistant Local Borehole Technician
Tinashe Moko is the assistant technician, responsible for helping with maintenance and repair work for the boreholes, and other site-related duties as needed.
Christopher Chanata | Transporter
Christopher Chanata is responsible for transporting the team to the sites, and for procuring and delivering materials and parts needed for maintenance and repairs.
Our Story
From 2006 to 2008, we completed two mission trips to bring life-sustaining food, financial support, and hope to people living in remote villages near Harare, Zimbabwe.
It was in 2009 - on our third trip to Zimbabwe - that the Rosshirt Water for Africa Foundation drilled its first three wells.
In 2012, a fourth trip was made and four additional wells were drilled, totaling seven throughout Kadoma, Chegutu, and Norton. Not only do these wells serve people living in the villages, they all provide water to educational or institutional facilities, including an adult prison and children’s juvenile center.
In 2014, Tim made his fifth trip to Zimbabwe, this time to the most rugged and desolate areas of the country he’d been to yet – and where three additional new wells were drilled. One of the wells, funded by a grant from the National Groundwater Research and Educational Foundation in Columbus, Ohio, was drilled in the Bongo Village and immediately became an unexpected godsend to hundreds of displaced families.
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No one could have predicted the major difference made by this well.
By 2015, six years after the initial three wells were drilled, the Rosshirt Water for Africa Foundation had successfully produced ten wells and instituted the second phase of its efforts: establishing annual inspections and implementing an on-site support team. This new phase of action allows us to promptly respond to and fund any necessary repairs of all existing wells. We remain one of the only foundations to do so in Zimbabwe.
We visited each well site in late 2018, and are proud to report that despite some challenges, all ten wells continue to collectively provide access to clean water for the tens of thousands of people of Zimbabwe every day!
In 2019, we began to secure the existing well sites by building fences along the perimeter of the well to further prevent any potential contamination. In addition, pond structures are connected to each well, allowing run-off from the hand pumps to flow into the pond and provide sanitary water for livestock in the surrounding area.
Walking
WITH
water
FOR
AFRICA
On July 6, 2019 the foundation held its first, Walk With Water for Africa 5K. This unique 5k walk held at Whetstone Park of Roses saw participants journey three miles along the Olentangy River carrying 20 liter jerrycans. In addition to raising funds The walk increased awareness about the millions of people who journey daily to obtain water for their families. Participants were also given a rare, slight insight as to how challenging of a trek this is for those who must endure it.
We are very thankful to our sponsors, volunteers and the many donors who made this event possible.
Visit the photo gallery to see photos and view video footage from the 5K walk.
Despite the challenges presented from COVID-19 across the world in 2020, we were still able to install another borehole. This borehole in Epworth, Harare, is equipped with a submersible pump and a 5,000 liter capacity tank – and is serving an estimated 3,500 people every day.
solar powered
In late 2020, the well at the Rusaza School ran dry. The primary reason for this was the severe and long-lasting drought in the country, which caused the water table in the area to shift. To fix this, we deepened the well and for a while, it continued to provide water to thousands of people. However, the drought also brought a significant increase in usage – and that eventually caused irreparable damage to the well.
In early 2021, our team in Zimbabwe began work on two new wells – and both are solar powered. One of the new wells replaced the unfixable and inoperable borehole at the Rusaza School. We can happily report that the new Rusaza well is complete and now providing water to over 4,000 people every day, including school staff, hundreds of students and others in the village! This would not have happened without the support from donors who funded the project.
The second solar-powered well, commissioned by The Foundation for Purposeful Living, was dug in Musami-Mrewa.
Rosshirt Water for Africa Foundation continues its commitment to build and maintain boreholes in Zimbabwe. Moving forward, RWFAF will seek further resources and technology designed to ensure sustainability of both existing and future wells. Each additional new well will also be equipped with fences and run-off ponds. We will also continue to explore ways to minimize and prevent future structural damage or breakdown of the wells.
In January 2022, the Rosshirt Water for Africa Foundation partnered with the Fyera Foundation in
drilling and installing a solar powered commercial borehole. Located at Chipuko Primary School in
Mrewa, this borehole is 100 meters in depth and serves as a huge relief to the school kids as well as
thousands of surrounding villagers who’ve never had a safe source of water. Prior to the installation of
this well, students were required to fetch a gallon of water every day for sanitation and consumption
use.
With the support of Fyera Foundation, we have followed up in donating vegetable seeds and
organic fertilizer for starting up a school garden project which will go a long way in getting the school to
be self-sufficient in well repairs and other beneficial initiatives. As of today the gardens are thriving.
We are overwhelmingly grateful for your continued support. Our success of past and future efforts would not be made possible without your help.
With the great support of our esteemed donors, Rosshirt Water for Africa Foundation has continued to maintain and repair our wells. This has given communities and schools alike a continuous and relatively undisturbed supply of clean and safe water. RWFAF has continued to ensure that once a well is broken or requires routine maintenance, a team of well technicians is sent out to make the necessary repairs - which can include: replacement of broken spares, building a new concrete apron and flashing of wells at least once per year. Although costly, attention to routine maintenanceis a necessity to prevent an interruption in the flow of safe and clean water for the communties we serve.
We are glad to be among the few foundations which maintains and repairs its own wells.
United Nations Water Conference
2023
Through our collective efforts with Fyera Foundation in providing safe and clean water in Zimbabwe, we were selected and invited to share this great experience as speakers at the 2023 United Nations Water Conference in New York. Of over 1,200 application letters all over the world, it was a great honor that ours was amongst the very few selected! Our Executive Director, Tim Rosshirt along with Executive Local Coordinator, Easton Moko, had the opportunity to share the best practices and lessons learned in water provision through the United Nations Water Agenda marked "Dignity for All Through Access to Clean Water in Africa". This served as a great opportunity to share our efforts on a world stage.
We are always open to feedback and ideas on ways we can improve. Contact us with your comments.