Water Well in Tanzania

Water continues to be the most valuable resource for human life. Despite many years of

progressive civilization, access to safe drinking water remains a challenge for millions

worldwide. Water shortage is particularly evident in remote villages found in Tanzania,

Africa. Even to this day, residents of these remote villages resort to harvesting

contaminated surface water. Consumption of such water often leads to terrible illnesses

brought on by waterborne diseases. Such diseases are particularly devastating to

infants, children, and the elderly, often taking a severe toll in the form of death.

Also, water collection in such locations is usually performed by women and children,

who spend most of their days collecting and bringing back water to their villages. By

doing these laboring chores, valuable time is lost, which could have been spent on

education, family, fun, etc. Girl students, in particular, showed poor school attendance

rates simply because they were away from school, collecting or helping collect water for

their families. Even when available, water was often contaminated by agricultural

pollutants and fecal pollution resulting from a lack of sanitation infrastructure.

Seeing thousands of people in these communities desperately needing clean water

deeply moved us as teenagers and prompted us to join hands with ISHIK Charity, a

local NGO in Tanzania. Together, we drew up a plan to construct a well. We aimed to

prepare this well before Ramadan, the sacred fasting month. We needed $4,200 US

Dollars to pitch a functioning well, which we quickly required if we were to do it by

Ramadan.

As a group, we did remarkably well with this mission. We collected the entire amount

with dedication and drive by conducting bake sales across multiple locations. We also

held donation drives, both online and offline, to quickly fund this mission. As a direct

result of our work, Mkokozi Village now has a functioning well upon which the entire

village depends and draws water.