In the summer of 2019, EWB-Boston Professional Chapter (EWB-BPC) initiated a partnership with Trinity Episcopal Church (TEC) in Canton, Massachusetts to begin a potable water project in Chamhawi, Tanzania. Chamhawi is a rural community of about 600 people, located in the central Dodoma Region of Tanzania. Currently water is obtained from a river 300 meters away and the community has been suffering from high incidences of water-related illnesses, including dysentery. TEC has begun raising funds to drill a well and outfit the well with a hand pump, so that the community members can have easier and more reliable access to potable drinking water. EWB-BPC has provided engineering and hydrogeological technical assistance in the review of a groundwater investigation study and the development of a bid package for well drilling. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, EWB-BPC decided to move forward with a remote implementation and a 120 meter borehole was drilled with a handpump installed in October 2020.  

We are currently raising funds for an assessment trip for the next phase of the project. Following this trip, EWB-BPC will install a solar water pump, solar panels, and water storage tank for ease of access, and initiate design of a water distribution system for Chamhawi.

If you would like to get involved, please contact our Chamhawi Water Supply lead, Mike Stover, at chamhawi@ewbboston.org for more information!

Download project summary here