Location
Nitekela Village, Mtwara Rural District, Mtwara Region, Tanzania
Community Description
Nitekela Secondary School is located in the village of Nitekela, in Mtwara Region, the deep south of Tanzania. The school is the only secondary school in the ward, drawing students from villages up to 10 kilometers away, including Nyundo, Niyumba, Migombani, Miule, and Maendeleo, with a combined population of over 6,000 people.
At present, the school has around 150 regularly attending students, ranging in age from age 14 to 25. 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.
Problem Addressed
During the rainy season, water is collected in relatively small tanks through a water catchment system on the school buildings. These are 5,000-liter tanks, which last for roughly one week of use by the students and their 5 teachers.
During the dry season, these tanks are filled manually by the students, who each bring one 10-liter bucket of water before or after school every day. This water is used for drinking and to cook porridge and tea during regular school days, as well as to cook, wash, bathe, and drink while the Form II and IV students are at study camp prior to national exams. The water is visibly dirty and is very likely high in contaminants and harmful bacteria.
As a partial result of this, the frequency of waterborne illness cases in students greatly increases during the dry season. Many students stay home or leave early due to diarrhea, stomachaches, and headaches.
The school has an old below-ground water collection tank (cement-lined hole) between two of the classrooms that was used some years ago to collect surface runoff water from the ground.
Project Description
This project is to create a rainwater collection and catchment system for the school by improving the collection tank and installing gutters and piping.
The tank will be cleaned and then re-cemented on the inside. A low brick wall will be added around the edge, and a cover made with iron sheets to keep out mosquitoes, birds, and other animals.
Gutters will be installed on the nearby classrooms to harvest rainwater, which will flow into the tank.
Water Charity funds will be used to buy cement to re-surface the tank and build the short wall and metal sheeting to cover the tank and to fabricate gutters, and to buy food for the workers.
The community will provide the labor to clean out the tank, make the bricks, and cook food for the workers.
Project Impact
150 students and 5 teachers and their families living at the school will benefit from the project.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Nick Allen Taylor
Comments
This is an important infrastructure project for the school. It will improve the health and well-being of students and faculty.
Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00
Donations Collected to Date
$555.00 + additional amounts
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has been fully funded through the generosity of friends and family of Peace Corps Volunteer Nick Allen Taylor, with additional funds to be applied for future projects.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Nick of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Nick 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.