Idunda Primary School Rainwater Catchment Project – Tanzania

Location
Idunda, Yakobi District, Njombe Region, Tanzania

Community Description
Idunda Primary School is located in the village of Idunda, in the Njombe Region of Tanzania. The village is home to over 2,000 people. Most of the residents are of the Bena tribe.

The school is centrally located within the village, just a few hundred meters away from the health clinic and the church.

At present, the school has around 250 regularly attending students, ranging in age from 5 to 14. Students arrive at school every morning to do morning chores before the daily assembly at 7:30 and have a class starting at 8 AM.

The community is almost entirely comprised of farmers, both subsistence and for-profit. About half of the families just produce enough for themselves and/or to trade with their neighbors, and half export their surplus grains to neighboring Njombe.

Problem Addressed
During the 6-month long dry season (June until November), water is a scarce commodity. The students of the primary school must fetch water from a well approximately 1.4 kilometers away from the school in order to meet their daily needs. This is a time-consuming activity that interferes with the education process.

The water from the wells is not especially sanitary, and as such the rate of waterborne diseases is high.

At this time, there is no likelihood of a piped water supply becoming available. Therefore, roof water harvesting offers a feasible way of improving quality and availability.

Project Description
This project is to build a rainwater catchment system at the Idunda Primary School.

The water will be used for a variety of purposes, including washing, cooking, and cleaning the latrines.

A base will be built, and a 3,000-5,000 liter container (depending on funds available) will be purchased, transported and installed. Gutters will be purchased and installed to capture water from the roof of the school. Piping will connect the gutters to the tank.

The materials will be purchased in Njombe town, which is 30 Kilometers outside of the village, and transported by a district car.

The work will be done by local carpenters and masons, with unskilled volunteer assistance from the community.

Water Charity funds will be used to purchase the tank itself, the structure for its placement, gutters/piping for the collection network, labor, and transportation of all materials.

Once completed, the system will be used and maintained by teachers, students, and nearby families.

Project Impact
258 students, 6 teachers, and the neighboring families will all benefit from the project.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Robert Iaboni

Comments
This is an important infrastructure project for the school. It will greatly improve the health and well-being of the students and teachers.

Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00

Donations Collected to Date
$555.00 + additional amounts for future projects

Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has been fully funded through the generosity of friends and family of Peace Corps Volunteer Robert Iaboni.

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Robert of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Robert and/or those of other PCVs in the country of service.

This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.