Humans can only survive an average of three days without water. Deprived of a dependable water source, the number one priority each day over work, school, and social interactions with family and friends is to find water to live. Oftentimes this lack of water is an insurmountable obstacle putting one’s livelihood and ability to grow and learn in jeopardy. The Village of Chitope does not have a protected water source with safe and clean water. The majority of people in Chitope depend on water from these small local wells (holes) around a pond which is miles away. Tanzania Life Project will partner with Chitope to build a clean water distribution system within their village.

Now that a clean water distribution system is installed in Ikombolinga, this woman and all the other villagers get clean water from distribution points very near their homes as often as they like! They no longer need to walk miles in the hot sun to get this contaminated water to support their family’s needs. They are healthier and happier! This was made possible by the generosity of our committed donors!

This child’s chances of survival dramatically increased with the new clean water system! Cholera, bilharzia, ringworm, and trachoma were common diseases that plagued villagers before the clean water source was implemented. These diseases can cause serious illness and sometimes death. We are so thankful for our donors’ partnership along with the villagers in implementing this new system.

Prior to the new clean water system TLP and the villagers installed, young villagers used to risk their lives crawling deep into the ground to access filthy water. They would create a “bucket brigade” of 5-7 people to fetch the water. This is what many villagers desperately did to get water they needed even though that water created many health risks. They now enjoy access to clean water from easily accessible distribution points within their neighborhoods.

The Village of Banyibanyi is so large and geographically spread out, it is the equivalent of two large villages and required two separate water distribution networks (Banyibanyi High and Banyibanyi Low in reference to their topographical positioning). The villagers did a lot of work to help implement these water systems. They dug miles of trenches by hand for the distribution lines like this one. One of the main runs between the pumphouse and second reservoir is over 3 miles long! We thank everyone in the village for their hard work and our donors who made the villagers’ dream of having clean water come true.

Ngutoto waited generations for clean water. Now these young entrepreneurs have established a water delivery service. Business is booming! A men’s empowerment seminar was piloted in addition to our existing women’s empowerment seminar. The results were truly amazing. Men embraced their responsibility to nurture the healthy growth of their community! Women also have a renewed sense of hope for their future and that of their daughters.

Clean water will forever change the lives of these young children. They will grow up healthier and more prosperous thanks to the new system that was made possible through the partnership of our donors and the villagers. This is certainly an accomplishment worth celebrating! TLP also partnered with Days for Girls to distribute sustainable feminine hygiene kits. These kits help girls and young women from missing up to three months of school or work each year!

This triple village project was the largest endeavor TLP had attempted in its first 10 years. Over 15,000 villagers are now being served by the new water system which includes three reservoirs and many distribution points. Founder Jim Vanderheyden is holding two bottles with the water before (right) and after (left) the new water system. You can imagine why they are so thankful for your generous support in bringing this precious gift to their village.

In partnership with the Abbott Foundation we're fighting to reduce the instance of HIV/AIDS and support all those who are affected by this disease through multiple programs. One of the programs engages affected villagers in a gardening cooperative to grow, harvest and then transport produce 300 miles (482 km) to the large city of Dar es Salaam where they sell it in a wholesale marketplace. The proceeds are then split among the cooperative members to support their living needs. You can see in the picture above an example of the fruit of their labor.

Our team had the great fortune of visiting Iwondo the day after the drillers found water. Many villagers came to watch and cheer as the drillers demonstrated the generous flow of water from the well (as seen in the picture above). The village has been without clean water for over 30 years. As a result, their development efforts had been adversely affected: women had to walk more than 10 kilometers seeking water instead of doing other productive work to earn money, not to mention the risk to their personal safety during these trips. The water system for this village was completed in 2014.

The village of Ilolo is the poorest of the villages we've supported so far. It presented some very unique challenges for us. Normally we would build a reservoir at the highest point in the village to allow gravity to distribute the water to each of the distribution points. Becasue of Ilolo's relative flat landscape, we needed to design a reservoir with artifial elevation as seen in the background of this photo. It was a great success and works beautifully!

A very committed group of women in this village dared to dream big in their plans to share resources in order to build a large chicken house with multiple coops for each of their individual businesses. These businesses will help them build a better life and pull themselves and their families out of poverty. Given seed money to begin their project, see what these amazing women have done to transform the resources around them into thriving businesses!

Isangha had been waiting for generations for clean water. This is one example of a traditional well the villagers have been coming to for years. You can see the awful state of the water and understand the importance of our efforts to improve the health of these wonderful people. Our project began in 2011 and is now completed.

It's been years since this reservoir has had any water for the village due to disrepair of the pump, pipes and water distribution system in Matumbulu. Our project began in 2010 and focused on upgrading and repairing the entire water system and add distribution points. The great thing about this project was that a new well was not needed as the current well had sufficient capacity.

This is the main source of water for the village. However, there is a working well with clean water located some distance north of the village (which currently is too many miles for most villagers to travel). Our project which began in 2008 focused on using this operational well, while adding a central reservoir and multiple distribution points throughout the village to make access to the clean water a reality for everyone.

Looking at the original source of water for the villages of Chisichili and Chikola demonstrates the importance of our project to bring them a clean source of water. The project started in 2007 and was complete in 2009.

In 2005, we completed work on a clean water well to support the village. During our trip in September 2009, the village leadership was about to hire an outside agent to run the water system for the village. This will ensure proper management of the overall system and provide water to everyone in the village on an equitable basis. Use of external agents to manage village water systems is one of the best practices used by successful villages throughout the country. We are very encouraged by this progress.