Tloma Primary School desperately needs water. The school would like to have its own well to provide a clean and reliable water source for cooking, hygiene, and other essentials. These facts, along with the reality of great financial need and little economic development in the village led us to wonder: How can we provide an income stream to pay for water and provide long-term financial support to the school and the community, and create self-sufficiency for the community? The answer? The well.
The Plan
Provide Water for the Long Term: While building wells to provide a source of clean water for communities is an admirable endeavor, the problem that often arises later is sustainability. Most wells do deliver the promised clean water to their communities. However, months or years down the road, when parts break or the pump itself needs maintenance, there is no money to repair or replace them. The community is then left back where it started before the well was installed.
Create Economic Sustainability: Our approach is different. Our plan is to drill and build a well system to provide a source of clean, reliable, and sustainable water to the school. The excess water will be sold to the community to supplement their supply. Since electricity rates are fairly high in proportion to the price of water, we are looking at using solar power to run the well’s pump. This will increase the income. A portion of the sales will be set aside for well and related equipment maintenance. We will purchase land for the well, as any water source located on government property falls under local water authority, and we would not be able to use the income to assist the school and the community. An agreed-on amount of water will be pumped to the tanks at the school each month free of charge.
Engender Business Development and Nutrition: Our intent is to purchase land that will host the well, a vending station, and other income-generating activities. We anticipate the development of an irrigated, demonstration produce garden that will not only provide produce to sell to the community, but will also serve as a hands-on teaching garden. There may be an opportunity to develop a commercial onion farm which could the source of a significant profit each year. The school has a large maize/bean garden, but inadequate water to grow other vegetables. Our water supply, in conjunction with new catchment systems, will be used to irrigate more diversified vegetable gardens for school lunches, plus small-plot and/or container gardens on the school’s grounds. Students will gain some agricultural experience as they help tend the farm.
Advance Educational Support: The profit from these ventures will be used to provide needed support for the school. That might include hiring more teachers for the school (current class sizes range from 70 to 125 students per teacher); supporting deserving students pursuing higher education; providing grants and micro-loans to local residents to build businesses; organizing adult English and business classes; fostering other health, education, social, and economic development opportunities in the village.
We believe this will be a vital step toward improving the economic health of the residents of Tloma. If the project is as successful as we anticipate, the system could be replicated in other communities in Karatu, and throughout Tanzania.
The First Site
A survey was conducted and a suitable site for a well was found. Funds were donated and in 2018 we drilled our first well. However, after drilling, it was determined that although there was water (800 liters per hour), the volume was neither sufficient for the school’s needs nor to provide an adequate income stream. A camera inspection of the well during the dry season indicated the water level was quite low. We were advised that pumping when water levels are low can damage or destroy pumps, which can become clogged by ingesting silt. For this reason, it was decided to abandon this location and begin the search a more suitable site.
Where We Are Now
As a result of a variety of different types of surveys, we have identified what appears to be an underground river or stream – approximately 200 meters deep – which currently provides healthy water supplies to some nearby lodges. We have spent a considerable amount of time trying to pair the water source with available and affordable property to anchor the well and its associated ventures, and are in negotiations with a few land owners. Once we identify which available property matches our requirements (road access, electricity connectivity, etc.), we will have the final survey done to isolate specific potential drilling points, and conclude the purchase of the property. Then we will drill the well. If the resulting water flow is adequate for our commercial needs, we will proceed with the buildout of the well. Other local wells are producing 15,000-25,000 liters of water per hour. Anything in that range would be acceptable.
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