Clean, safe water, thank you very much!
Ndengesivili Primary School is in the Ndengesivili Village, Iringa Tanzania. The school has a population of 8 teachers, 105 boys and 90 girls from nursery age through standard seven.
BEFORE:
Before classes in the morning all students have to go the river to fetch water used for cleaning, cooking porridge, drinking and for the toilets. This affects class hours and causes students to miss important lessons and valuable study time while they are fetching water. Their school performance often suffers. The school has no access to safe and clean water. They are using polluted water from the Ulowa River which is 2 kilometers away from the school. Water from the river is unsafe because the cattle and other animals also use this water. The river is also used for domestic activities like bathing, washing clothes and cultivating crops. Use of this water has been causing many students to contract water-borne diseases such as stomach illnesses, diarrhea and cholera.
A new well has been drilled! Having a shallow well near the school will provide a clean and safe water source for the students, teachers, and staff to use. This well with a hand pump now provides clean water that will reduce the number of students, teachers, and staff that become sick with stomach illnesses, diarrhea and cholera. Students will also benefit by having more time for their studies and their performance in school will improve. They no longer have to walk to the river to fetch water which will also decrease the number of student injuries and deaths caused by crocodile attacks. The students in the video clip below are saying “Clean, safe water, thank you very much!”.
