Maintaining relationships with our clients and giving them vital, ongoing support is an essential part of our work. Supplying clean reliable water is the first part of our involvement, the second is making sure the local people are equipped to maintain and operate the plant for the long term.
We have recently returned from Zanzibar where we followed up on the desalination plants we installed in four remote communities there. We were thrilled to discover how much progress had been made and the extent that the fresh water we were able to provide for these communities has helped them. We bring you some of the highlights of those findings.
I hope you enjoy reading about the life-giving change that clean water has brought them as much as we did when we visited there.
Kokota
Quality of Life Significantly Improved
The water plant we installed on this island has been running reliably now since 2012. It has proven to be so successful that the population has grown from 340 inhabitants in 2012 to 500 in 2017.
The provision of clean water means the children are healthier and have survived better than before and the men can spend more time in their work as fishermen, instead of fetching water from a distant island for four hours every day.
500 people now have clean drinking water every day. Kokota is a very remote island; its people are completely dependent on the water plant we installed as there is no other source of fresh water on the island.
Their health has seen a radical improvement.The significant stomach problems they were getting from contaminated water have now been eliminated.
Two extra classes have been added to the school because of the increase in the number of children who are now able to attend.
The people of Kokota report an increase in their daily quality of life, telling us they now feel free and independent.
Empowering the community members by creating local entrepreneurship.
This is 26-year-old local fisherman, Juma Ali (centre), who proudly operates
his community’s water supply.
Even though Juma is illiterate, he has been fully trained by Moerk Water.
Not only is he successful in his new role, he is now honoured in his community
and the recipient of a great deal of appreciation for his work.
The village Sheha (mayor) works alongside Juma Ali to operate the desalination plant as well as attending to his work as a fisherman.
PHOTOS BY JUDITH BREZGER
Uzi Island
Cholera Eradicated
Last year in Zanzibar, more than 3,000 people were hospitalised with cholera and 51 people died.
“Assessments have shown that the main factors associated with the spread of the infection both in mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar are limited access to safe water and sanitation.”
World Health Organization,
Cholera – United Republic of Tanzania, Disease Outbreak News, 22 April 2016
Since Zanzibar’s island of Uzi installed a Moerk Water solar-powered desalination plant, there have been no more cases of cholera or stomach diseases in that community.
Their people are no longer dying from these avoidable diseases so their children are no longer being orphaned by them and sent to an orphanage on the mainland at Dar es Saalam.
1700 people have clean drinking water.
3 Moerk Water solar-powered desalination plants are installed, servicing the different areas of the community.
No more cases of cholera and stomach diseases due to their daily supply of potable water. Students can now go to schoolevery day because they are no longer suffering so much illness.
More time for work and education.Because the water unit is in the village centre the men, women and girls can spend more time in their daily work instead of fetching water.
No more contaminated and salty water.
Moerk Water created local ownership of the plant.
The trained operator Said Nassoro Rajabu and his proud family show
the certificate he received from Moerk Water.
CENTRE: Martin Brezger, (Director, Moerk Water) Said Nassoro Rajabu and John Mhina
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The village girls report that they are happy now they don’t have to collect water every day:
“Our hands are not bruised by ropes anymore, due to getting water from wells.”
Our thanks go to Dow Chemical
and Clean Water Foundation – Georg Fischer Ltd
for funding this project.
Buju
The Entire Village Benefits
500 people are now being provided with clean water.
Local ownership of the plant has been created, bringing improvements in social and economic welfare.
Significant health improvements have been achieved now that the villagers have access to high quality, clean water every day.
“Thank you very much for the water, we have a lot of thanks in our hearts.”
Haji, the local plant operatorTHE VILLAGERS OF BUJU THANK
THE PRIVATE DONORS IN GERMANY FOR THEIR GENEROUS SUPPORT.
Pamoja
Economic and Social Growth
“You are the first company bringing in
a social aspect together with the water provision for the people on Zanzibar.”Dominic Warth, Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany
and General Manager of Vocational Training Centre Pamoja
Several hundred people in this remote village now share the benefits of having 3,000 litres of clean water per day.
The water quality is so good that thesurrounding villages also come to Pamoja for water.
Moerk Water has partnered with local NGO, the Pamoja vocational training centre to establish their Water Department which now operates and maintains their Moerk Water desalination plants.
The Pamoja Water Department, established by the local community
in collaboration with Moerk Water who provided the training for their operators.
“Interests is what makes somebody rise to another level.
I was interested, this is a new technology in Africa. I learned more and more,
it helped me to where I started and where I am now.”John Mhina, Water Service technician
