We were approached by Kiwohede to fund a water project at the Invumwe centre in Mbeya; a region in the south west of Tanzania. As it stood, all water used at the centre had to be brought in from outside in buckets. This meant that water was in short supply and not always from a reliable source.

The lack of clean running water meant that activities at the centre were limited and sanitation, washing and cleaning facilities were inadequate. Having piped water available at the centre would augment hygiene levels and allow staff to provide workshops such as tye-dying much more easily.

When the Inner Wheel Club from Hull generously donated £2000 to Kiota, we felt that this was an ideal and very worthwhile project for the money to go to.

The aims of the project were:

·       To provide a clean, safe adequate supply of water to the Mbeya centre. This was achieved through building a water pipe from the mains water supply to the centre.

·       To provide training in the operation and maintenance of the new water supply. It was important that the staff and service users were properly trained in the use and upkeep of the new system. All training given took the form of workshops and included skills such as book and record keeping, management as well as how to maintain the system and how to fix common problems.

·       To improve standards of health in the area through educating about the importance of good hygiene and sanitation. Disease in the country can often spread due to poor hygiene levels and lack of education about causes of disease and the effects that unhygienic practises can have on the spread of disease. For this reason, Kiwohede felt it was important to work with the community to raise awareness of these issues and what measures can be taken to prevent infection spreading unnecessarily. Kiwohede often work closely with the community to provide a comprehensive solution to a problem. A common problem in Tanzania for example is improper latrine use. Many families who use latrines do not empty them in the correct way when they become full. This is because to have the contents disposed of correctly costs money and residents do not consider emptying latrines properly a priority and choose instead to empty them for free into rivers, streams or directly into the ground for free. Aside from the  unpleasantness, many are not aware of the devastating effects this can have on their health and the health of their neighbours and others in the surrounding community. Therefore, as part of the Mbeya water project, Kiwohede organised workshops to educate the community about the importance of good hygiene and sanitation in an effort to improve standards of living in the area.

·       To provide training in methods of income-generating projects. Many of the young people who attend the centres have not had the opportunity to go to school Many may have started primary school education but it is common for those who attend Kiwohede not to have finished primary school and very few have ever had the chance to go to secondary school. For those in poor, rural areas such as Mbeya many see receiving education and training as a way out of poverty and the promise of Unfortunately traffickers also know how alluring the promise of education and work in the city is and will often bribe children to leave their homes willingly and with the blessing of their family with the promise of schooling in the city. The reality however is very different and many girls are forced to work as domestic servants, bar girls  and as sex workers and are exploited, abused and never receive the education they were promised. Kiwohede helps to combat this problem by offering training to the young people who have not had the opportunity of going to school. They ensure that those who have not completed their primary school education finish their compulsive schooling by providing them with the uniforms and books they need but could not afford. Unfortunately Kiwohede is not in a position financially to be able to offer all the young people they serve secondary schooling but they do give training in areas such as batik, tie dying and tailoring which allows them a way to generate an income without having to turn to alternatives such as prostitution.

In Mbeya, as it is a rural area, the water project enabled the centre to have an irrigation system and those attending the centre can now be trained in farming techniques, cooking and running food outlets and how to grow flowers and vegetables to sell. 

Images: The service users at Ivumwe Kiwohede centre in Mbeya, South West Tanzania with their new irrigation system and huts for learning catering techniques.