This project is made possible through the partnership of WATER CHARITY and the NATIONAL PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION. 
Location
Mtambula Village in Iringa Region, Tanzania
Community Description
Mtambula is a farming community located in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania in the Iringa region. With roughly 4,000 community members, there are always events happening at one of the schools, community centers or shopping locations. Half of the year is in the “rainy season,” from January to May. The other half is the “dry season,” making it difficult to continue agriculture programs.
Living in Mtambula is different every day. There is a maternal health clinic that is short-staffed, many schools, and over half the population is school-aged youth! Mtambula is a large community with a large youth population and will continue to grow in the coming years.
Problem Addressed
Currently, many community members are required to walk several kilometers to retrieve water, taking up time that could otherwise be spent elsewhere. The lack of available water leads to issues of sustainability, taking away precious time from income generation, learning, and food growth.
The only sources of water other than the two working wells are two rivers. During the rainy season, it is possible to retrieve water from these locations. However, the water is unsanitary.
Village law states that people must use a water source within one hundred meters of their homes. With the number of wells in need of repair, that is impossible for a large amount of the community.
The village of Mtambula, found in the Southern Highlands of Iringa, Tanzania, has had difficulty in fulfilling the community water needs. There are two highly trafficked wells, a few scattered private wells, and many non-functioning water sources.
The strain of access to water makes it difficult to keep students in the class, for community members to provide basic food and sanitation needs at home, and for the two already busy nurses at the local maternal health clinic to keep up with the many women the clinic serves daily.
79% (3,284) of the population is under the age of eighteen, many of which are students at the primary and secondary school. Lack of water availability forces students out of class to fetch water daily. 2,194 women live in Mtambula, many of which frequent the farms and maternal health clinic.
Previously, the Water Committee of Mtambula has constructed additional wells to fight the water issue. The correct training was not used after construction, leading to more broken wells. A village of 4,167 people cannot sustain on two public wells which risk being broken from over-use if other community water sources are not repaired.
Project Description
This project is to repair twelve non-functional wells in the village of Mtambula, both reducing the strain of two working wells and to provide access to water closer to homes.
The work will be done by members of the Water Committee, with some responsible for purchasing the materials and others performing the repairs.
Standard pumps will be purchased and used at the existing wells. All broken piping will be replaced.
Water Charity funds will pay for the materials.
The community will contribute over 25% of the project costs in the form of local materials, labor, and cash.
Each member of the Well Committee, Water Committee, and Village Committee will go door to door in their designated sub-villages, explaining the well repairs and that education will be provided at upcoming meetings that are required to use the repaired structures. To ensure people attend one of the meetings to learn about the new wells, fliers will also be handed out to all local businesses, including local shops, the clinic, and the schools.
Project Impact
4,167 people will benefit from the project.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Dennis Smith
Monitoring and Maintenance
Wells will be checked on June 30th, 2016. By July 15th, 2016, community members will be educated and given a test on proper well use.
Small amounts will be collected from users to ensure that future repairs can be made as needed.
Long-term, fixing the wells will give members of the community the knowledge of how to use them efficiently, know the signs of when to stop using a well, and prevent wells from breaking in the future. If a well does happen to break, members of the community will also have the knowledge to fix them.
Comments
By repairing twelve wells around the village and educating on proper use, access to water will be closer and more reliable to community members. The nurses will have access to water at the maternal health clinic, shop owners will not have to walk over one hundred meters to fetch water to cook, and homes will have access to many domestic needs.
Fundraising Target
$3,200
Funds raised in excess of the project amount will be allocated to other projects in the country.
Donations Collected to Date
$3,200
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project was fully funded through the generosity of the G3 Foundation, of Costa Mesa, CA, USA. However, the project was canceled due to the PCV leaving the country for medical reasons. There was no loss of funds, and the money from G3 was re-allocated.