A paper presented by David Proudfoot on 21-23 January 2003, Muldersdrift, South Africa.

This paper explains the changing nature of Zimbabwe’s approach to rural water supply over recent decades, and in particular the programme of a leading Zimbabwean water sector NGO, Mvuramanzi Trust. After summarising the changing approaches of the Trust, the paper reflects on the need for new approaches to respond the continuing need to improve water supplies and sanitation, and the changing nature of poverty in contemporary Zimbabwe. Case studies of attempts to respond to these new needs, especially the needs of a population severely affected by the impacts of high levels of HIV/AIDS, are considered. Crucially these include the needs of rural households to improve food security and engage in productive enterprise. Implications are drawn for non-governmental and governmental rural water supply and sanitation programmes in the country. [authors abstract]