TANZANIA (MEATU) WATER PROJECT

For more information:

Jonathan Kifunda Program Area Manager Tanzania

PO-Northern Tanzania Meatu Majengo Street, Mwanhunzi P.O.Box 156 Meatu-Shinyanga, Mwanhunzi Tanzania Office: +255 28 279 5052 Mobile: +255 786 254 200 E-mail: jonathan.kifunda@icsafrica.org Skype: jonathan.kifunda

Talitha Hammer Project Officer Social Business

Smallepad 32 3811 MG Amersfoort The Netherlands Office: + 31 33 303 0250 Mobile: + 316 48 48 64 38 E-mail: talitha.hammer@ics.nl Skype: ics.talitha.kotterink

Check our website for all our activities: www.ics.nl

TANZANIA MEATU WATER PROJECT

ICS (Investing in Children and their Societies) strives towards a better future for children in rural Africa and Asia. Through its projects and programs, it builds on a sustainable growth in welfare and wellbeing by simultaneously investing in economic and social opportunities and needs. The central building blocks of the work of ICS are social business, child protection and skillful parenting. The issue Meatu District, one of the eight districts of Shinyanga Region in Tanzania, is a predominantly rural district with less than 5 percent of the population living in urban areas. In the rural areas only 45 percent of the people have access to safe drinking water. Many water sources in Meatu are scarce contaminated and therefore not safe for drinking. Animals often use the same water sources as humans, where the former also defecate. This results in the prevalence of water borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid and diarrhea. And it contributes to a higher under-five mortality rate in Meatu compared to the national average of Tanzania. This all could be prevented by having access to clean drinking water. Meatu water project The main goal of the water project is to improve access to safe drinking water in Meatu District for school children and the communities they belong to. The project deliberately addresses school children directly as well as their communities. If targeting school children in isolation, the projects impact would still be compromised by the lack of access to safe drinking water in the childrens household environment. The projects other more specific goals are: For children and their teachers to have access to safe drinking water in their schools. For the community members to have access to safe water for drinking, cooking and other household purposes in their proximity through a community water system. For hospitals to have access to safe drinking water through the community water system. Water sourcing methods Water is scarce in Meatu and access to seasonal rivers and groundwater varies for different locations. This means that a range of solutions have been considered for optimal water harvesting across the district. Based on assessments of the locations most feasible and affordable methods of harvesting, storage, treatment and distribution, and on their population density, three solutions were identified for providing safe drinking water to school children and their communities: 1. a  community water system that is attached to a subsurface dam, 2. underground tanks with rain water catchment systems 1. Subsurface dam Areas close to the river have easier access to groundwater. There a surface dam is the most effective way of bringing large quantities of clean water above the surface. Through a solar pump system the groundwater is pumped into a main storage tank and through a piping system it is connected to several water points in the community. While the initial investment for such a system is relatively high, it is the solution that provides the cleanest and largest quantities of water to many users. 2. Underground tanks The further away an area is from a subsurface dam can be applied the more difficult and expensive it becomes to connect it to these water systems. To still provide water in these more remote areas, underground tanks are constructed at primary schools and connected to rainwater catchment systems. Social marketing and education Through social marketing and education people will be stimulated to use the safe water sources and water treatment products. ICS project staff will, together with other local community actors, carry out awareness campaigns on health risks of contaminated water, its negative effect on childrens education, as well as the solutions that are offered by the project.