Living Waters Update: October 5, 2016

Dear all at St. Pius,
I am writing to update you on the progress of the Living water projects at SWLD in Tanzania. Few days ago we conveyed the materials to one of this year's(2016) Living water wells to Mizani village.

Site description:
Mizani village is about 25 East of Morogoro city. The community has more than 3000 people, the majority of whom are farmers. Despite the fact that this community is situated along side the Morogoro-Dar es Salaam highway, the people here have no access to clean water. The villagers, mostly women, struggle every day to get water for household use. They walk for long distance to search for water, of which its quantity and quality are uncertain. They also use water from unprotected traditional wells. During dry season most of the traditional wells go dry and the problems of water become so intensified. Therefore, they have to buy water from vendors who sell water in the streets using bicycles to which its sources are unknown. As such, the prevalence of water born diseases, including typhoid and cholera are high among the villagers due to the use of unclean water.
 
In a quest for help, the village chairman Mr. Kibwana submitted a letter to SWLD in January 2016. We kept the village in the waiting list while considering the problems of his people as critical. Once we received this year's Living water funds we decided to intervene in order to alleviate people's sufferings from water shortages at Mizani village by allocating one of the wells in this area.
 
Project status at Mizani village: 
Site inspection and Hydrological survey confirmed the area has a good reserve of underground water. We formed a water committee to oversee the well after completion. A few days ago we conveyed the materials and immediately our team embarked on digging. So far, digging is in good progress. The good news is, we have hit the aquifer with a high yield of water. Digging will continue for a few more days so as to deepen the hole to the permanent water table. Thereafter, the slab will be constructed.
I have attached some pictures in this e-mail including the girls fetching water at the traditional well, loading and offloading the materials to the site and digging of a new Mizani (Living water) well by SWLD staff.
 
I will write again to update you on the progress of this well and the details/locations of other four wells.
 
Thanks a lot. 
​James