Construction of Ikengeza Primary School WaSH (Water Sanitation and Hygeine) project was completed in February this year, in plenty of time for the rainwater harvesting tanks to fill fully before the end of the rainy season. Four tanks have been built at the primary school and one at the village dispensary, and each one holds 23,000 litres of water.
This poor rural village is very grateful to the Anglican Church and Emmanuel International for the project – to have this clean water available for the dry season. So, they organised an official opening celebration on Friday 9th of May 2014. The Bishop was the guest of honour and newspaper and local radio reporters were also present. The event was reported on by the Majira national newspaper! The school playground was prepared for the event with canopy and chairs for parents and guests. A generator and PA system was brought in for the occasion.
After a tour of the tanks and new latrine block, there were speeches of thanks, music and dancing, followed by a meal for the guests. The village presented the Bishop with a live goat as a token of their thanks for the project.
Andrew Wingfield expressed his thanks to Pastor Mfumbe and the leaders of the village for the way they mobilised the community to understand and fulfil their role in the project and for their valuable contributions, including local materials and labour.
Headmaster Geoffrey Sanga said “Many students had to leave school to collect water from far away, but now they will be able to be at school and have water at school”.
One of the students’ mother told EI “We thank you for building tanks for the water harvesting for the school children. May God encourage you to continue with this helping heart, and God bless you.”
Thanks were expressed to Emmanuel International UK, who funded the project through donations from churches, individuals, donations in memory of Michael Hilton, and the Allan and Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust.
It was a real encouragement to all the EI team and workmen to share in this project opening celebration at Ikengeza and to hear how much it is appreciated by the village.
In the end it is God and his church, through His people, that gain glory from all this.
Report by Andy Sharpe, Water and Sanitation Manager, EI Tanzania
You can download this article in the May 2014 Down to Earth.