Year 2017 Tanzania

Purpose

Improve water security and hygiene at Itanana Primary School.

 

Climate Impacts

Community members from Idunda report the following impacts:

Limited water sources

for students and community members

Difficulty farming

due to unpredictable rainfall

Movement of crop cultivation

to areas with greater water access

Tanzania-Rainwater harvesting-01
Tanzania-Rainwater harvesting

Activities

• Initial project planning and design

• Digging of waterline trenches and preparation of infiltration pond

• Purchase and transport of construction materials

• Installation of rainwater gutters

• Construction of hand washing station

• Training of teachers and implementation of Itanana School "Water Day"

• Training of students on proper hand washing, rainwater harvesting, water sanitation, water conservation, and climate change

project outcomes

260 feet of of rain harvesting gutters installed

6-faucet hand washing station constructed at school

46 boys and 36 girls with improved access to handwashing and knowledge of water issues

project design

The village of Idunda is experiencing increasingly unpredictable rainfall, placing greater strain on the village’s only groundwater outlet, which serves over half of Idunda residents. To improve local water security and hygiene, a local Peace Corps volunteer teamed up with teachers, students and families from the community to construct a rain capture and storage system and new hand washing station at Idunda's primary school. The rain catchment system diverts roof runoff to a water storage tank and any overflow to an infiltration pond to minimize soil erosion and replenish groundwater. The stored water is piped to the hand washing station located between the bathrooms and classrooms such that students can conveniently wash their hands before returning to class. Following construction and installation, teachers led a School Water Day, during which students participated in hands-on activities to learn about climate change, water conservation, and appropriate use of water for personal health and hygiene.

Itanana Primary School students during school-wide 'water day'.