Water For People’s ambitious 2030 goals to bring clean water and sanitation to 200 million people makes program expansion an important aspect of reaching those goals. Tanzania is one of the most populous east African country, and has had comprehensive sector development plans since 2008. We are looking to find ways to support these plans, because while there has been progress, there remain significant challenges.
Existing systems haven’t been able to meet population increases in urban areas, and service levels in rural areas need to be improved to meet SDG 6. The challenges of sustainability of supply, and sufficient financial resources for those services to be maintained, are common with neighboring countries in which we are already working. Availability in terms of quality, quantity and distance from home, can always be improved to reduce waterborne illnesses, time spent collecting and transporting water, and the use of unprotected water sources among other issues.
Tanzania’s president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, is supportive of WASH and is keen to ensure that the new (RUWASSA) and other more established institutions delivering services are accountable and effective. Having this level of government commitment means our ability to collaborate in the districts we serve will be much more fruitful. Tanzania’s proximity to the successful Water For People programs in Malawi, Rwanda and Uganda creates a unique opportunity to use shared learnings to reach Tanzanians who desperately need clean water and sanitation access.
We’re in the process of process of choosing the districts we’ll work within and interviewing for a Country Director, Program Manager, and Finance and Administration Manager.