Foundation Grant Supports Water Treatment System in Tanzania

A $20,000 grant from the Louisville Water Foundation helped the nonprofit Water Mission build a water treatment system in the community of Hwazi in Tanzania.

“Thanks to the generosity of the Foundation and other strategic partners, this significant water system installation was successfully constructed, completed, and commissioned,” said Water Mission Grants Director Grace Humbles. “The Hwazi water system now provides reliable access to safe water for Hwazi’s 4,130 citizens.”

Before the treatment system was installed, the residents relied on untreated wells containing harmful bacteria, which caused such diseases as cholera and schistosomiasis.

The 2023 Foundation grant supported Water Mission’s three key objectives for the Tanzania project: Construct a treatment system engineered to fit the geographic context and unique needs of Hwazi; train the community’s leaders to own, operate, and maintain the system; and train 10 Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) promoters to conduct water education initiatives in the community.

Because of the Foundation’s help, “the community of Hwazi no longer needs to worry about children missing school to fetch water, family members dying from preventable waterborne conditions, or the burden of water poverty,” Humbles said.

“A teacher in Hwazi shared with Water Mission staff that the community is rejoicing because of the presence of this safe water,” she added. “The system is a gift to Hwazi’s children today and for future generations.”

The Foundation supports a wide range of projects as it works to fulfill its mission: “To improve the health and well-being of both the local communities we serve and around the globe through water assistance and education.”