Location
Lushoto, Tanga, Tanzania
Community Description
Located in the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania, Kwemaramba Secondary School serves over 400 students in Form 1 through Form 4, the equivalent of High School.
The rainy season is from November to December and March to April which provides plenty of rainwater throughout the year.
Problem Addressed
The students need to fetch water for school lunch, watering plants, and cleaning the school. They currently walk down a 300-meter hill, which can be very dangerous for the students during the rainy season because of mud.
The school uses approximately 500-1,000 liters of water per day depending on student attendance and school activities. The water which is currently used is from a river which has debris and is also used for washing clothes and for livestock, such as goats and cows.
There is currently a 25,000-liter concrete water catchment tank, with rain gutters lining the roof of the nearby building. The gutters and tank, now over 10 years old, are in disrepair. The tank leaks, and during a recent rain, it did not fill up with water.
There is a second storage tank at the school near another building. It was previously used to store water for the construction of the building. The tank is no longer being used.
Project Description
This project is to renovate two rainwater catchment and storage systems at the school.
The existing 25,000-liter tank and gutter system will be renovated as follows:
- Clean out the gutters from debris
- Replace plastic cramps and add silicone to prevent leakage
- Add timber 2” x 4” x12’ for the support of the water pipes to prevent gutters from breaking
- Add an extra layer of cement to the inner and outer sides of the tank to prevent future leaks
- Add waterproofing cement to the inner lining of the tank
- Change the existing connecting pipe to the water tank to connect to the building for better stabilization against the wind to prevent pipes from breaking
- Add a spigot to the tank so that water can more easily be accessed (instead of dropping a bucket with a rope tied to it).
- Add a mesh covering over the gutters to prevent leaves from clogging the gutters, and cut down the tops of trees nearby
The plan for use of the second tank involves the installation of a gutter system as follows:
- Add 3 aluminum rain gutters each 30 ft long
- Add timber 1”x 10”x12’ for support
- Add cramps to each connecting gutter
- Add a PVC 4” drain pipe to lead rainwater into the water catchment
- Add a PVC elbow 4” pipe to lead rainwater into the water catchment
- Seal each existing connecter with silicone
- Cover the current tank
The work will be done by a skilled craftsman who recently built a water catchment system for another nonprofit organization.
Water Charity funds will be used for materials, transportation, and labor costs.
Project Impact
500 people will benefit from the project, including 400 students and 100 people in the nearby community.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Theodore Lin
Comments
This is a cost-effective and important project to increase the ability of the school to provide for the water needs of the students for drinking, cooking, cleaning, hygiene, and sanitation.
Dollar Amount of Project
$550.00
Donations Collected to Date
$550.00 + additional amounts
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has been fully funded through the generosity of friends and family of Peace Corps Volunteer Theodore Lin, with additional funds for future projects.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Theodore of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Theodore 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.