A Celebration of Success in Tanzania

It isn’t every day that one is welcomed with the kind of greetings that Peter Fant, WEFTA co-founder and long-time volunteer, received upon his arrival this September at the community of Mpapa in Tanzania.

Mpapa Health Center and the surrounding communities are the beneficiaries of a recently completed Water System improvement project that was coordinated and executed through our Tanzanian partners, SAWA (Sanitation and Water Action), with almost all of the labor being provided by the communities themselves. Serving over 5,000 people, Mpapa Health Center is located in the Ruvuma region of Mbinga in southwest Tanzania.

With support from the Wheaton Franciscan Sisters, Cornell Douglas Foundation, and various private donors, WEFTA worked in collaboration with SAWA, the Benedictine Sisters, and the Tanzanian Water Ministry to successfully bring safe reliable water to the Hospital, the schools, and the community.

During his site visits in Tanzania, Pete checked on the recently completed WASH improvement projects at the Mpapa Hospital in the Mbinga District, and St. John’s Hospital and schools in Lugarawa.

With support from Bishop John Ndimbo of Mbinga, the local priests, the Benedictine Sisters, and staff from SAWA, Pete visited additional schools and healthcare facilities in the surrounding communities in the Mbinga and Nyasa Districts to assess the sites for future WASH improvements. WEFTA is currently sponsoring the water source development of the projects where water committees are being formed, while seeking funds to move forward with WASH improvement projects for the healthcare facilities and schools in the communities of Lundu, Lituhi, Ruanda, and Litembo.

All combined, these improvements will positively impact over 120,000 lives.

Check out this video of the warm WEFTA reception by the community of Mpapa: