Join MyHeritage’s Founder and CEO’s Efforts to Change Lives in Rural African Villages through Innovation: Africa

MyHeritage is proud to support Innovation: Africa, a remarkable non-profit organization dedicated to bringing clean water and solar power to rural African communities.

Founded in 2008 by Sivan Yaari, and powered by donations, this organization has completed over 1,000 projects, improving the lives of 5 million people in 10 African countries. With a team of 140 full-time employees, including 90 engineers and hydrogeologists based in Africa, they work closely with local contractors to create sustainable solutions. Their work saves lives and transforms entire communities.

While we’ve spread the word about their incredible work on our blog, our Founder and CEO, Gilad Japhet, felt compelled to do even more. In 2023, he reached out to Innovation: Africa and offered to contribute directly with his personal funds to help further their mission, and to provide clean water to an entire village in Zambia, and then to a second village.

See this video summarizing Gilad’s experience supporting Innovation: Africa and his recent visit to Zambia to both villages (Read more about the journey in detail below):

The Journey Begins

Gilad chose the village of Chiundu in Zambia, with a population of 4300 people that suffered from a lack of clean water. This rural village does not appear on any maps, it is off the grid and is not connected by paved roads. It can be seen on Google Maps. When Innovation: Africa told the villagers of Chiundu that soon they will be enjoying clean water thanks to the generosity of Gilad Japhet, at the polluted open water source where the villagers were drawing water from, they burst into a spontaneous song and dance of gratitude.

In December 2023, after one year of hard work, the Chiundu project was completed: a solar-powered water well was dug 100 meters deep, and clean water was made available to the village at a flow rate of 1.7 liters per second.

Villagers celebrate the successful water drill at Chiundu that is showering water on their heads like rainwater

Chiundu village thanks Gilad upon inauguration of its water project in December 2023

Life in Chiundu before the water project: carrying 20 liter buckets several times per day from a polluted open water source

Life in Chiundu after the water project

Though Gilad wasn’t able to attend the ceremony when the water was first turned on in Chiundu, he was overjoyed by the profound impact the project had on the lives of thousands — so much so that in May 2024, he committed to providing another village in Zambia with clean water, by donating again. This time, he chose Paononga, another rural village, with a population of about 3,000, within an hour’s drive from Chiundu. In June 2024, successful drilling was completed at Paononga and construction of the water tower began. Two kilometers of trenches were dug to lay the pipes for distributing the water across the village. The project in Paononga was completed at the end of August 2024.

Drilling is successful! Water is found in Paononga village, Zambia, erupting from the ground like an oil well!

Last month, Gilad traveled to Zambia, where he was hosted by Innovation: Africa’s Zambia team and warmly welcomed into both villages. It was a trip filled with emotional ceremonies, heartwarming moments, and a firsthand look at how clean water has transformed the lives of thousands in these communities.

First Stop: Chiundu Village

Gilad’s first stop was in Chiundu, a village of roughly 4,300 people, where the water project had been completed in December 2023. Gilad had been told that a few people might meet him there, and he was stunned to see a huge turnout of grateful villagers eagerly waiting for his arrival, all singing joyfully, “Japheti has arrived”.

You can see Gilad’s surprise in this video that he filmed:

The villagers held an elaborate ceremony, full of singing and dancing. The head of the village personally thanked Gilad, expressing heartfelt gratitude for the clean water that had saved their community.

Gilad and a smaller group went to see the village’s original water source. Before the clean water initiative, the women from the village would walk to this pit up to 6 times a day, carrying back 20 liters of water on their heads. This contaminated water was filled with water-borne illnesses.

The villagers jogged, sang, and danced all the way there.

When they arrived, Gilad couldn’t believe what lay before him. The pit that the village had been getting water from until up to a few months ago had nearly dried out due to severe drought in the region.

In this video, you can see the joyous dancing on the well-worn route to the water pit and the reflections of one woman from the village on how their lives have changed since receiving access to clean water:

After the visit to the old water source, the group returned to the village for another beautiful ceremony by the newly built water tower.

The celebrations continued with intricate dances. One of the highlights of the day was a special dance performed by villagers dressed as wolves and tree creatures. This was an incredibly unique event — one that no tourists would ever witness, as Gilad may have been one of the first non-African people to ever visit the village.

Gilad was then taken on a tour of Chiundu to witness firsthand the life-changing impact of the water supply.

He met two incredible villagers who had become entrepreneurs thanks to the new water source: the first was a young man who was using the water to make a one-man factory of mud bricks. He is now in advanced stages of building his own home and saving money for his children’s education by selling the mud bricks to others.

From one entrepreneur to another!

The second was a woman who has created a magnificent vegetable garden to support her 5 children, providing food and income to secure their future.

Gilad also visited some of the 20 water spouts set up around the village that bring clean water to the entire community of 4,300 people.

The day ended with even more dancing and celebratory speeches.

See some of their incredible dances in this video:

The villagers did not let Gilad remain a passive spectator: at one point he was suddenly summoned to dance in front of the whole village — and he had no choice but to join in!

Check out his dance moves in this video:

In his closing remarks, Gilad thanked Innovation: Africa for their incredible work in creating the water system, sharing his appreciation for the organization’s dedication to transforming lives. He emphasized how proud he was to have been a part of such an impactful project.

After a long day visiting the Chiundu village, Gilad and the Innovation: Africa team traveled back for several hours to the city of Chipata where they were staying, and they prepared for their next visit.

Gilad and the amazing Zambia team of Innovation: Africa

Second Stop: Paononga Village

On the second day of his visit, Gilad arrived in the village of Paononga, where the new water project was about to be unveiled. This was a truly historic moment for the 3,000 people of Paononga, as they would receive clean, running water directly in their village for the first time ever! Paononga, a relatively young village founded in 1993, had suffered for years from water-related issues.

The villagers relied on a distant contaminated stream, which was not only a long journey away but also infested with crocodiles. The ongoing drought affecting all of Zambia had caused much of the stream to dry up, leaving only a small, stagnant, and unsafe water pit. Without this project, the village’s future looked uncertain.

As soon as Gilad arrived in Paononga, the village held a special ceremony to celebrate the arrival of clean water. The taps were turned on for the first time, and the joy in the air was incredible. For many in the village, this was their first time seeing water flow from a tap. This moment represented a new beginning for their village — one filled with clean water, opportunity, and a brighter future.

Opening the taps for the first time in Paononga, Zambia

The impact of this moment extended beyond just having clean water. The village school, which had been left unfinished for years, would now be completed. Previously, the children spent their days helping their mothers fetch water from the distant stream, preventing them from attending school. With clean water now available, the school would be finished, and for the first time, the children would be able to start their education.

From the moment the group arrived, they were welcomed with singing and dancing. The head of the village rushed over to ensure Gilad and his team had space, and the villagers performed traditional dances featuring tree people and monster costumes. Although the village of Chiundu is not far away, the dances and clothing were completely different, offering a unique experience.

After the taps were turned on and the excitement subsided, Gilad distributed certificates to 10 villagers who had been trained as technicians to maintain and repair the water system.

By training local villagers, the project ensures that the water supply will be sustainable for years to come. These technicians will be able to handle many issues that arise, ensuring the village’s future remains secure. In addition to the technicians, another 10 villagers were appointed to the administration committee, responsible for overseeing the project and its impact on the community.

The day continued with speeches from the head of the village, local leaders, and villagers, all expressing their gratitude.

In a touching gesture, the villagers presented Gilad with several gifts, including hand woven straw mats. Unfortunately, due to travel constraints, Gilad had to leave these gifts behind in Africa, entrusting them to the Innovation: Africa team in Zambia.

The gift-giving parade begins:

Gilad shared a few heartfelt words about his support to these communities:

To end the visit, a large group set off to bid a final farewell to the old water source — a 1-kilometer walk from the village — with a great deal of singing and laughter.

See some of the singing by the Paononga villagers on the way to the old water source in this video:

When they arrived, Gilad was shocked by the state of the old water source. He was happy that the villagers could now leave behind their old, contaminated water pit for good.

Can YOU help?

Gilad and Innovation: Africa have brought clean water, hope, opportunity, and a brighter future to thousands of villagers in Chiundu and Paononga for generations to come.

We hope this account of his journey inspires you to assist Innovation: Africa and help bring a better future to the people of Africa, or to assist humanity in other ways.