A China-supported borehole drilling program launched in the aftermath of devastating cyclones and prolonged droughts in Zimbabwe is reshaping daily life, bolstering food security, sustaining livelihoods and opening new avenues for small businesses.

At Mahusekwa Growth Point, a solar-powered borehole drilled in 2025, has become a hub of activity. Installed under a Chinese government initiative to restore water and sanitation services, the facility now supplies clean, reliable water to traders, households and entrepreneurs who once relied on distant or unreliable sources.

"We now have clean water to wash our products and for customers to wash their hands before they eat," said Cynthia Garan'nga, a market vendor. "We also fetch water to use at our homes because there is an intermittent supply."

The steady water access has also created new income opportunities. For Loveness Marabwanya, who runs a small car wash nearby, the borehole has cut costs and simplified operations.

"Maybe I was going to get people to fetch water for me from the river, but it's very far. And I was going to pay more for that... to imagine that the water is just like a few meters away. It's very easy and convenient for me."

Powered by solar energy, the borehole operates around the clock, shielded from fuel shortages and power cuts. Local officials say the reliability is critical for communities grappling with increasingly erratic rainfall.

Mahusekwa is one of more than 300 communities nationwide benefiting from boreholes drilled with Chinese disaster assistance. Around 60 are located in Mashonaland East, where chronic water shortages had long constrained development and undermined food security.

"These boreholes came at the right time," said Jeremiah Gwanzura, chairperson of the Marondera Rural District Council. "The last two or three years we have been having droughts."

Gwanzura said the availability of water is sustaining livestock and small-scale farming projects from cattle and goats to piggery ventures and nutrition gardens, helping households maintain production even during prolonged dry spells.

At the national level, authorities frame the borehole program as a shift from emergency relief to long-term resilience.

"In any disaster recovery program, what we always talk about is building better," said Nathan Nkomo, chief director in the Civil Protection Department. "You can see that principle in the way these boreholes are being established in Chimanimani, Midlands and Mashonaland East."

Beyond water access, China has also supported food security through agricultural training and recovery programs, efforts officials say are helping communities rebuild stronger and more sustainably in the face of a changing climate.