Safe water for an orphanage in Tanzania

Writing / Irene Vega

The lack of drinking water has a strong impact on the health of the most vulnerable populations, especially children. The orphanage of AMANI Children's Home (Mto wa Mbu, Tanzania) has a water supply from a well and a 10.000 L water tank that supplies the water facilities and the kitchen and bathroom taps. This water is pumped from a river and does not receive any treatment.

A scientific team, led by Miguel Martín Sómer and Javier Marugán, has travelled to Mto wa Mbu to install a water treatment system. In addition, the researchers have carried out the water quality monitoring campaigns necessary to ensure its correct operation, and have provided training and capacity building to local staff for its operation and maintenance.

This action has been developed within the framework of the MAJISALAMA project (Safe Water in Swahili), funded by the 5th Call for Development Cooperation, Global Citizenship and Human Rights Projects of the URJC. “The objective of the project is to improve the quality of drinking water for children living in the orphanage, since they are the most susceptible to contracting waterborne diseases due to the low microbiological quality of the drinking water they currently consume,” explains Dr. Miguel Martín Sómer, head of the MAJISALAMA project.

The project has had the collaboration of the NGO Juntos Mola Más (JMM) and the company APRIA Systems, specialists in the development of customised water treatment systems. The system designed and built by APRIA has been installed in AMANI, where the NGO JMM has been developing some of its cooperation projects for some time. “For all of our staff it is a source of pride and gives us great joy to know that our technology is doing its bit to give these children the opportunity to face the future in healthier conditions,” highlights Pedro Gómez, general manager of APRIA Systems. For her part, Catina Roca, head of the NGO Juntos Mola Más, appreciates the involvement and initiative that has been taken with this project from the very beginning so that these children have a better quality of life.

The availability of safe drinking water for the AMANI community will lead to a significant reduction in the prevalence of cases of diarrhoea and dysentery, especially in children under 5 years of age, whose immune system is not yet fully developed. In addition to the impact on health, the improvement in the quality of drinking water will therefore also lead to a reduction in school absenteeism of the affected children, improving their educational opportunities for a better future, another aspect that is relevant to the URJC team as an educational institution. Atenea Alonso Serrano, the JMM representative during the installation of the system, has expressed her gratitude to the team members: “We are very grateful for the commitment of the people who have participated in the project to improve the quality of the water that the children of the AMANI community drink.”

Effectiveness of the system for improving water quality

The system developed by APRIA Systems and implemented by the URJC team has significantly improved the water quality of the AMANI community, showing the absence of pathogenic bacteria in successive analyses. This system consists of the use of a pretreatment filter followed by a UV-C ultraviolet light disinfection system using LED emitters. This technology, developed in recent years, has significant advantages over the use of traditional mercury lamps. The operating costs of the system are limited exclusively to the electrical consumption of the lighting system, since the connection of the equipment to the water line coming from the tank eliminates the need for pumping equipment, operating exclusively by gravity. To supply the system with electricity, the URJC team has provided the AMANI community with a solar panel for electricity production and a storage battery, so that the equipment can operate autonomously at no additional cost to users.

Gideon L Mawenya, manager of the AMANI Children's Home orphanage, highlighted the work of this project: “We are deeply grateful for the water purification system provided to us by the MAJISALAMA project. In the past, our children often had to be taken to the hospital for stomach illnesses caused by contaminated water. This project will bring about a significant change by providing clean and safe water, which will not only improve the health of our children but will also help us save money that would otherwise be spent on medical expenses.” This is evidenced by the enthusiasm with which the AMANI community has welcomed the URJC team and the interest shown during the installation of the system and the water quality tests carried out.