January 2015 Nyambogo Implementation Trip

Hello everyone!

The University of Cincinnati Engineers Without Borders chapter recently returned from Tanzania in January, 2015 after completing the first phase of its water project in the village of Nyambogo.  While there, the travel team of four students and two mentors completed a variety of necessary tasks, such as configuring the storage tank arrangement, installing tapstands, and transitioning ownership of the solar-powered system to the local Water Committee.

While this blog has not been utilized in more than a year, the chapter would like to revitalize this medium as a channel for communicating with our members, partners, and donors.  Without the support of the University of Cincinnati, the Shirati Health Education & Development foundation, or our individual and corporate sponsors, the tremendous projects that our organization has developed and implemented would not be possible.  In this post, we will summarize the activities and accomplishments of our recent travels, and we would like to encourage our supports to continue visiting this blog for further updates.

January 2015 Implementation Travel Team

Our travel team, pictured above, spent seven days on the ground in Tanzania to complete the installation of our first-phase water project.  While there, the group labored diligently to cut and thread galvanized piping, measure bulkhead fittings, assemble the tapstands and manifold, and configure the entire 40,000 liter system.  On our last day in Nyambogo, Global Resource Alliance (GRA), our contracted partners, had installed the solar panels and was able to power the pump that resided more than 70 meters below the surface.  We watched as the tanks began to fill, and were able to flush water through our system and taps.

More than five years in the making, this project has been our most ambitious endeavor thus far.  With the opportunity to provide over 7,000 individuals with potable water, our chapter has allocated a tremendous amount of time and resources to transforming this vision into a reality.  More importantly, EWB-UC has been able to provide the village of Nyambogo the resources to operate and administer its new water source effectively, which has already generated income for the community.

Our intentions for this water project continue to unfurl with subsequent phases in development, concentrating on expansion and further distribution.  While our progress in the past year has been momentous, the project committee aspires to providing the most accessible resources for our partners in Nyambogo.  We have only breached the surface, and are eager for the opportunities ahead of us!

Remember to visit our website at ewb-uc.org, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/ewbuc, and follow us on Twitter at @ewb_uc to receive more information about our chapter progress.  For now, thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to providing you with more exciting news!