365 days of clean water and smiles

While 771 million people in the world do not have clean water close to home, the case is different for Joyce who only spends 5 minutes from her home to the water kiosk and back.

Joyce wakes up in the morning to have tea (or sometimes not) and goes to her farm that is close to her house, in this community of ‘Wakurya’ unlike many other communities and tribes in Tanzania, the farms surround the house.

“I have been fetching water from the kiosk which is extremely near to my home for a year now and it has been better compared to before. Before now I used to walk 2-3 hours searching for water and I did not have time to rest and do other activities like now. This water is good, and you can hardly taste salt, unlike other water sources. I use this water for cooking, drinking, and washing,” Joyce Mwita, Machochwe farmer.

WaterAid has been collaborating with businesses to empower them to play an active role in expanding access to safe and sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services all along the supply chain – in their operations, supporting workers and surrounding communities – considering WASH within the broader context of responsible water management.

Through a joint fund between WaterAid Tanzania and Serengeti Breweries Limited in Machochwe village in Mara Region, we constructed a water kiosk to support farmers and those in their community with improved health and work outcomes through water access.

The farmers supply sorghum wheat to Serengeti Breweries Limited, a supply partner of Diageo. This water kiosk can generate 7000 liters of water per hour and has been benefiting more than 2000 farmers in Machochwe who used to walk for hours searching for water.

“Finding water was a very hectic exercise. It was never easy. I had to cross areas that you could never imagine, and even after finding water, it was never clean. There was no one to help me. My eldest child is 10 years old and spends most of her time in school, so I was the only one to do it. The future is bright for me and most especially my children, now I can fetch water even five times a day. I know that my children won’t have to go through what I went through. I am so grateful. They will be safe health-wise and their security too. No one wants to drink water on the same well that the cows are stepping on or drinking. We had no choice. Now, we have an option to use safe and clean water,” Joyce Mwita, Machochwe farmer.

489 million people in the world – one in sixteen – have no choice but to drink dirty even though clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene form an essential platform for progress in health, education, work, and economic growth and development. Women and men get to earn a living, women like Joyce.

In that sense, WaterAid Tanzania does not just look for funding but also develops strategic partnerships with various partners including the private sector. These partnerships have allowed WaterAid Tanzania to draw on experience and skills in areas such as technical, marketing and behavior-change expertise.

“We work with Government and Institutions to change policies, attitudes and how things are done so that you get what is your right. But it’s not enough just to work with the government. We’re here to help excluded and underserved people who want to change their situation.” – Anna Mzinga, Country Director, WaterAid Tanzania.

Anna added that the Joyce Mwita is happy because she is now spending more time on her farm rather than finding water.

Joyce Mwita fetches water and hand washing at the kiosk and uses the water to wash clothes at her home. Water taps and water kiosk constructed by SBL and WaterAid Tanzania. organization also emphasized improvement in gender equality outcomes through WASH.

She stresses that promoting gender equality through WASH would contribute to changes for women and girls not just in terms of immediate outcomes for WASH access, but would also enhance their prospects in education, health, employment, and safety.