The community of Kwala depends on a pump that brings water from a water source 7 KM away from the community to the village. The pump frequently breaks, however, leaving the Kwala School Community without water for sometimes weeks at a time.

Understanding the Issue:

Both teachers and students depend on water in order to carry out normal daily activities such as cleaning, cooking, and drinking. Most students depend on the school to provide them with three meals per day. However, when water is unavailable, students are left without food and often do not attend school because they are left hungry and to try to find food for themselves. Water is also necessary to keep conditions sanitary in Kwala’s new latrines, built by NTC in July 2009. Finally, a reliable source of water will allow Kwala to start their school garden and maintain the NTC Orchard Project which can both feed students healthy fruits and vegetables and serve as a potential source of income for the school in the future.

NTC’s Solution:

The leaders of the Kwala Secondary School Community have proposed the creation of a water harvesting project that will provide Kwala Secondary School Community with a reliable source of 90,000 liters of water each year. Tanzania’s climate features both a rainy season, running from February to April, and a dry season running from May to January. The proposed water harvesting project would take water from the roofs of Kwala Secondary School and store it in an underground cistern for use whenever the water pump is broken. A reliable source of water will prevent disruptions in Kwala’s school year (including increased attendance), and enable the school to take on other sustainable projects such as a school garden.

For more information on the technology involved in rain harvesting and how the process works, please visit WaterAid International’s webpage on Water Harvesting.

Fundraising Goal: $6,000.00

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