Meet Staford Kangadze
Staford Kangadze, 57, is a husband, father of four, grandfather, and a church leader in the community of Chadzama, Malawi. He also serves as head of his village. But the role that brought us together is the one he has held since 2000—Staford is an Area Mechanic.
For 26 years, Staford has been responsible for keeping Afridev hand pumps running across Lilongwe District. He maintains 112 pumps, which serve an estimated 12,000 people. And he does most of his work on foot.
Before the MaxLife™ Centralizer arrived, the black centralizers, the bush bearings, and the cylinder capsules were the most common causes of Afridev pump failures. In a single year, Staford could be called out to the same Afridev pump six times. He was walking constantly. There was very little rest and very little time at home with his family.
Then the MaxLife™ Centralizer was introduced. We asked Staford to describe the difference in his own words:
“After installation of the blue centralizer, we have seen that it’s very strong. We have seen with the black centralizers, we were changing them every 2 months; now we are going into the 7th month without changing centralizers and there were no breakdowns. I also have time to do other work at my household because I’m not frequently visiting the communities doing maintenance.”
Staford’s reputation in the communities he serves has grown along with the reliability of the pumps. He told us that people now see him as the one with experience—the one whose work is good. The communities trust him.
Staford is not satisfied with upgrading only the 112 pumps under his care. He told us about a fellow Area Mechanic who passed away, leaving 97 more Afridev pumps in a neighboring area without anyone to maintain them. His wish is that these communities would also receive MaxLife Centralizers, so that every pump could work every day.
When we asked what message he wanted to send to those who have made this project possible, he was clear: “My message to DO is that they should make sure all the hand pumps in Malawi have these centralizers so people have access to water.”
Staford has spent more than a quarter century walking from village to village, repairing broken Afridev pumps under the Malawi sun. Because of your generosity, his walk is changing. He is making fewer emergency trips. He is spending more time with his wife, children, and grandchild. And the 12,000 people he serves are receiving cleaner water more reliably than ever before.
This is what we mean when we say that the MaxLife Centralizer is more than a part. It is a partnership of many faithful hands—area mechanics, shopkeepers, village leaders, Water Point Committees, and donors like you—all working together for the glory of God and the good of His people.
Thank you for walking alongside Staford.
