International Projects: Iringa, Tanzania
The project in Iringa is EWB-MSU's current international project! One of the biggest challenges society faces today is finding clean and reliable sources of drinking water. In Tanzania, a country located on the eastern coast of Africa, access to clean, safe water is a major concern in rural areas due to limited resources and inadequate sanitation, leading to many health, environmental, and socio-economic problems.
In the Mangalali village, a small village just outside of Iringa, Tanzania, people don't have access to clean drinking water as the well that is currently in place needs to be repaired or fully replaced. EWB-MSU aims to change the lives of the people in the Mangalali village for the better by providing them access to clean water through the club's 3-4 year project.
EWB-MSU is partnering with the AfyaPlus Organization as well as Ruaha Catholic University (RUCU) to complete the project. The club is very excited about this partnership!
In the Mangalali village, a small village just outside of Iringa, Tanzania, people don't have access to clean drinking water as the well that is currently in place needs to be repaired or fully replaced. EWB-MSU aims to change the lives of the people in the Mangalali village for the better by providing them access to clean water through the club's 3-4 year project.
EWB-MSU is partnering with the AfyaPlus Organization as well as Ruaha Catholic University (RUCU) to complete the project. The club is very excited about this partnership!
Assessment Trip In December of 2024, the travel team traveled to the Mangalali village near Iringa for the assessment phase trip, which is the first trip that the club took to Iringa. On the first day that the travel team was in Iringa, they held a community meeting with the community members and AfyaPlus members. The community was very happy that the travel team was there and were excited about the project! During the community meeting, the travel team and AfyaPlus members introduced themselves and told the community about how they would be walking around and surveying them. The surveys contained many questions about the demographics of each house, where they get water, how they store their water, as well as the hygiene habits of the house. During the three days that the travel team was in the community they did many things throughout the community. One thing they did was survey 270 households and collect water samples from each house. Another thing the travel team did was conduct focus group discussions with leaders of various sectors in the community like healthcare, water, and education. Also, some travel team members and RUCU members visited various water sources around the community to assess each water source. Lastly, travel team members tested each water sample for nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, TDS, and E. Coli. The travel team also got to go on a safari in Ruaha National Park! 
On the last day that the travel team was in the community they held another community meeting to tell them our initial findings and what to expect in the future in terms of short-term solutions and long-term solutions in the community. One long-term solution that the team thinks could be possible is a deep well with a distribution system.
The team has now begun the implementation phase of the project where they will work with faculty advisors to design a new water system for the community. At the end of the implementation phase, club members will travel to the community again to see the potential well being built! Finally, the club will travel to Tanzania after the new water system is built so that the club can make sure everything is working correctly for the community. The project will be considered complete after this phase. |
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