Concern Blogs

Hadija (left) pictured with her mother at new water point supported by Concern. Photo: Isla Gilmore, Concern Worldwide.

Water has always been readily available to me

As a city girl it’s hard to imagine life without clean water. Being in Tanzania I have had to adapt to not being able to drink it, and constantly being cautious about boiling, filtering and washing food in clean water. But I live in Dar es Salaam and I have access to all the water I need.

Life in rural villages in Tanzania is completely different

I visited Concern Tanzania’s water programme earlier this month. Biharamulo District is in Kagera Region, close to Rwanda. It looks a bit different to other parts of the country where we work because the villages are located in hills and valleys.

This means that the houses are spread out and many essential services are far away, including the water points. It’s a long way from the coast and major cities; it doesn’t rain much; and it is lagging behind in development. Many villagers live in extreme poverty.

Due to her illness Hadija was struggling to keep up

I met Hadija at a water point improved by Concern Tanzania, partners, and the community last year. Aged 32, she has been ill for two years with high blood pressure. She has six children to take care of but has struggled to manage her family and work, so her two elder children have been helping.

Hadija told me about how life in the village has changed since Concern improved a water source close to her home.

“The water was very dirty before; we drank it and we got diarrhoea”. Hadija was unable to walk to fetch clean water as it was a four-hour round trip from her house. Her children spent around seven hours a day collecting from two sources for drinking and washing. As a result they performed badly at school and are currently two years behind other children their age.

Catching up with their education

The new water point has reduced the trip to just half an hour. “My children now have time for other activities” Hadija told me, “they attend tuition for two hours after school. They learn maths and English. Before this was impossible.”

Women and children benefit the most from improved water

Hadija faces problems most of us never have to experience. For women and children in rural areas the impact of clean, safe water is incredible. For Hadija’s children it is life changing. “I hope they can go on to secondary school”, she said, “and then who knows what else they can achieve”.

Concern Tanzania works with partners to provide clean and safe drinking water in northwest Tanzania, and trains community members to manage and protect the water points. Villagers source materials for construction and help to build them. This gives them ownership, and we believe it means that they will last over time.