Joining hands to transform lives through provision of clean drinking water
Tausi's journey to accessing clean water
A year ago, 11-year-old Tausi Katambarai's daily task was to trek 10 kilometers to draw water from a well and balance a 20-liter jerrican on her head back to her home in Kaguruka village, Kasulu district, Kigoma Region of Tanzania.
"I had to fetch water for my family, which made it difficult to attend school regularly," said Tausi Katambarai, a standard seven pupil at Kaguruka Primary School. "I would attend classes twice a week, which affected my academic performance."
For years, the communities in Kigoma struggled with the lack of access to clean and safe water sources. The logistics of fetching water from rivers, often far away, were strenuous, particularly for women and girls. This caused children to miss school, parents lost valuable time that could have been used for more productive activities, and waterborne diseases from drinking unsafe water were prevalent in the community.
"Life without water was difficult for us. Sometimes, we had to leave home as early as 3 or 4 am when it was still dark, only to find long queues and dry wells. We had no choice but to wait. The water was dirty and often contaminated, and my family would frequently fall ill with diarrhoea."
UNICEF, in partnership with Water Mission Tanzania and through the generous support of the Grundfos Foundation, drilled boreholes in the Kigoma Region and piped water to schools and villages, transforming the communities with access to safe drinking water at their doorstep.
"This project is part of a larger programme, which includes 15 projects that we are working on with UNICEF," said Eng. Denis Arbogast, Project Manager at Water Mission. "We have completed eight projects benefiting ten communities in Kigoma that have significantly transformed the lives of vulnerable groups, including women, girls, and children."
The project aims to provide nearly 200,000 residents across 31 villages in Kigoma with access to clean water and sanitation. In alignment with climate change mitigation efforts, UNICEF ensured the water project installed solar-powered pumps for boreholes to eliminate fossil fuel emissions previously caused by using diesel-powered pumps.
AQ tap at the water collection points is an intelligent water dispenser with integrated revenue collection platform for viable and accountable water supply where people can easily purchase and access water at any time of the day using a prepaid water card.
"When the water came, it brought joy to my heart," said Ashura Samgao, using the prepaid water card to access water. "I want to thank those who brought us water; they have greatly helped us."
Tausi's life has blossomed as she can attend school regularly, her educational performance has improved, and the waterborne diseases she suffered from unclean water are now a distant memory.
"The water is here; we are happy; we don't get sick often anymore! The availability of water near home has changed my life. I can attend school regularly, and I have performed well in class this year."
Ms Atupokile Mwangono, Tausi’s schoolteacher, explains how drinking water has helped children to learn and makes it easier for teachers to provide quality education.
"Most of the children had poor class attendance when we had the water problem," says Ms. Mwangono, a teacher at Kaguruka Preschool. "With water nearby, the attendance has improved, and last year's results were good, where out of 63 students who passed, only 13 attained average grades."
Life in Kaguruka village has drastically changed for schools, health facilities, households, and children who have access to clean drinking water. This has especially lifted the burden off women carrying water for long distances and reduced the financial strain caused by excessive medical expenses. The time previously spent fetching water is now being used by parents to focus on other income-gaining opportunities.
Tausi's story illustrates the profound benefits of having clean water close to home: empowering education, health, and community resilience.
