Today, the children of Changuruwe Village drank their first handfuls of clean water. These children will never need to walk hours each day to fetch water as their parents did. They will never go thirsty, or get sick from water-borne disease. Watching their faces as they splashed contents of the running faucet into their eager mouths, we knew that that they have a chance at a better life. And all of that is thanks to Israeli solar technologies.
Dr. Shukuru Kawambwa, Tanzania’s Minister of Infrastructure, traveled with us to the project site to be a part of the inauguration of our newest water pumping system.
There was another round of singing and dancing, as well as speeches by Dr. Shukuru and a local chief. We also honored the members of our newly founded water committee: a group of local farmers assigned to take care of the water pump. The water committee will give regular reports to our contractor in order to ensure that it stays well maintained, and that the villagers of Changuruwe never have to drink dirty water again.
After the ceremony, we traveled to three new project sites in Makurunge and Mataya Villages. We saw two clinics and a primary school in need of our help. In these villages, children cannot read or receive medical care at night. There is no refrigeration for life-saving medicines or vaccines.
Visiting these projects after our success in Changuruwe this morning was a reminder of just how much work there is to be done; how many unfinished projects we have yet to complete.
3,600 people gained access to clean drinking water today. We sang and danced and celebrated with them. But being here, we are seeing firsthand just how many more there are to help.
