What we do
If you are a group (like us) with a heart to help, how do you decide where to begin? Fortunately for us, we have a partnership , and it's easy to find out where to begin. We sit down and ask our friends in Hedaru what THEY think are the most pressing needs! Then we put our heads together and build a plan. At the other end of our partnership, in the United States and especially Ames, Iowa, we look for people that have something to contribute. If it is something that would be helpful, we try to find a way to make it happen. We've made a lot of progress in our four-year partnership, and we look forward to how our relationship will continue to grow. The Need
As we've gotten to know real people in Hedaru during our trips to Tanzania, it has gotten more and more heart-wrenching to see the tremendous need everywhere. As a result, we have chosen to work together with the whole village of Hedaru and find ways to address some of those needs. Tanzania is currently one of the poorest country in the world, and lack of potable water is its most pressing need. For that reason, we have chosen, and will continue to choose the improvement of the water situation as our #1 priority. It affects every person in Hedaru, in every aspect of life, every day. As the water situation improves, we will be able to start looking with the people of Hedaru at ways to use that water to increase their food supply, the second most pressing issue. Goat Milk?
Enter, the goat!
Goats are by nature more suited to this area than cows. They eat ANYTHING, they take very little water, and by comparison, produce a lot of extremely rich, high-fat milk, which is highly valued in an area of food insecurity and malnutrition. One of goat milk's most important uses is as baby "formula" for women with HIV who cannot nurse. Infant Formula, as used in the west, is expensive and not highly available, so goat milk is a fabulous substitute. Goat milk is also a tremendous source of protein for malnourished children, and can be made into cheese and yogurt, which are easier to store in non-refrigerated areas. Goats produce 2-3 offspring per pregnancy, and typically they can be bred twice a year. All of these things make the goat the perfect dairy animal in the Hedaru area.
Water Project
In the early morning, the water is sent to the village, and each family is allocated a block of time when they can go to an assigned faucet or tank to fill their buckets with water. People stand in line, waiting to fill buckets for all of their daily water needs. If the water runs out, the remaining people in the line don't get water that day, and in fact, during the dry season, the water simply runs out, often for days or weeks at a time. The system is 35 years old, dilapitated, and designed for a time when Hedaru was a very small village. Much needed maintenance has not been done because the population is too poor. Remember, the average annual income in Tanzania is only about $200 a year! After a survey of the entire watershed of the area and water usage, the District Water Engineer and Water Commissioner determined that rehabilitating and expanding the current water system was the most effective and economical way to begin addressing the water needs of Hedaru. It also had the added benefit of helping to diffuse any conflict between those on the mountain farming, and those in the village drinking, when there was not enough for both. That is how our water project was chosen. Achievements
We've traveled to Tanzania six times to meet face to face with our companions, we've brought a delegation of four of them to visit us in Ames, and we've made great progress in many areas, including completing the financing and most of the construction of a substantial water rehabilitation project, donating books for children, delivering medical supplies to various facilities, and providing office supplies for our companions. Travel ReportsTravel from Ames to Hedaru is essential in our partnership. Only so much work and planning can be done at a distance through email and meetings. Traveling to Hedaru has been instrumental in forming trusting relationships, determining what the most pressing problems are, and planning an effective approach to solving the problems. Travel Blog
We hope that Nathan's excerpted daily account of what we saw and experienced will allow you to gain some insight into what motivates us and why we are tackling the Hedaru Water Rehabilitation Project. Photo Albums
There are photos from the January 2006 and September 2007 trips to Tanzania, with more coming in the future. While viewing the photos, you can read short descriptions about the photo to help you get to know some of the people, places, and issues in Tanzania. |
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What we do
What we do
When you look at Africa, or more specifically Tanzania 
Tanzania is a semi-arid climate, and the Village of Hedaru sits in the shadow of a mountain range, which leaves it even more dry than most of the areas surrounding it. This presents some real problems for the farmers who grow the food that feeds the local population. One thing that is severely lacking in this area is dairy. It takes approximately 40 litres of water per day to keep a Tanzanian cow producing only 5-10 litres of milk, so the poor cows are in direct competition with the humans for the scarce water supply....hence the lack of dairy products.
Our current focus is on a large water system rehabilitation project that is underway. Hedaru is a village of over 22,000 people. The only water sources available are a few streams that trickle down to the village from the mountainside. The water is diverted by the farmers on the mountain to irrigate their fields, and what is left is transported through small, black plastic hoses, which are damaged at many points between the water source and the village. Because there is no regulation of how much is diverted, during the day the farmers pretty much take all of it and little or nothing reaches the people in the village.
Our partnership has only been in existence for five years, but we've already had some great successes!
There are lots of different organizations doing relief work all around Africa, but without traveling there, it's hard to get a real picture about life in Africa. To give you a first-hand perspective about what life is like and the partnership we've formed in Hedaru, we're posting this Travel Blog from our first visit to Hedaru. 
We have lots of photos from our visits to Tanzania in our