No Clean Water In Africe

Woman's project pushes for clean water in Tanzania

Every time she takes a warm shower, drinks a glass of cool, clear water, washes her car, her dishes, her laundry, her face, Jenn Adams thinks about the children of Arusha, Tanzania.

Last year, the 28-year-old Aptos-area resident established The Maisha Project, a program that aims, among other things, to bring clean water to the people of Arusha, one child at a time.

"Maisha means 'life' in Swahili," she said. "Water is life."

In 2006, Adams left her life of relative comfort in La Selva Beach to fulfill a lifelong dream of doing international relief work in Africa, joining the School of St. Jude to serve 1,500 of the poorest children of Arusha.

The contrast between her life and that of the children of St. Jude became vividly clear when Adams first saw the mud huts they call home, the meager meals that sustain them, the dirty water in which they bathe, drink and wash clothes, and the high rate of illness and absenteeism from school.

The primary cause of sickness, she learned, was parasites, worms the children consume by drinking dirty water.

"In talking with rotating doctors who come on three-week or months-long mission trips," Adams said, "I found that it costs only 50cents a year to keep a child de-wormed, and they could live without malnutrition. Yet it isn't happening.

"It really opened my eyes," she said. "We de-worm our dogs in the United States, and these children are living with worms. Clean water and sanitation is the solution, but most of these people can't even afford the fuel it takes to boil water."

In 2009, Adams returned to Aptos to figure out how to de-worm the children so they might avoid parasitic diseases. After six months of research, she learned that medicine is no more than a Band-Aid unless there is clean water, sufficient sanitation and health education.

She returned to Tanzania in May 2010 to launch a pilot program that would lead to The Maisha Project.

"The Maisha Project is a community-based, de-worming project that includes a hygiene education component, as well as the infrastructure changes needed to ensure clean water and sanitation," she said.

"The needs of the people in Tanzania, as with many developing countries, are basic: clean water, sufficient food, access to health care, education and a means to sustain themselves.

Water Missions | Young & Free SC Contributes $16000 to Water ...

Partnering Organizations Will Bring Safe Water to Uganda

(N. CHARLESTON, SC) – June 13, 2011 – Young & Free South Carolina, powered by South Carolina Federal Credit Union, has partnered with Water Missions International to donate a clean water purification system to Musubi, Uganda, located on Lake Victoria in Africa.

Young & Free South Carolina sponsored the Change for Change campaign during March and April to bring awareness to the global water crisis that kills more than 5,500 people every day and to raise money for Water Missions International.

The Change for Change campaign raised $16,000 through community donations, art show fundraiser, text message campaign and South Carolina Federal Credit Union branch fundraisers.

Two other organizations—Water for Africa (an affiliate of Water for Life, International) and Hands4others (H4O)—also partnered with Water Missions International to provide safe water to a community on Lake Victoria. As a result, these organizations and Young & Free SC have contributed $31,000 to Water Missions International. This total amount will provide a sustainable water system to the community of Musubi in Uganda.

"This campaign will make transformational change in the lives of 3,000 Africans living in Musubi, Uganda,” said Molly Greene, Water Missions International co-founder. “In the United States, we take safe water for granted and can turn on the tap anywhere and drink. The people we serve around the world have no taps, much less the blessing of safe water. Together, we are providing "liquid hope!”

The community of Musubi is a rural fishing village located on Lake Victoria with a population of 3,000. The primary school in Musubi serves 1,200 students. Currently, the people of Musubi walk 5 kilometers to retrieve water. This new water system will be installed this summer. Photos and video of the progress will be available at www.youngfreesc.com/changeforchange.

About South Carolina Federal South Carolina Federal Credit Union is headquartered in North Charleston. More than 155,000 members own and belong to the not-for-profit financial cooperative, which has over $1.3 billion in assets. South Carolina Federal is a community-chartered credit union. Anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in Dorchester, Berkeley, Charleston, Clarendon, Calhoun or Georgetown counties, and most of the Columbia area, is eligible to join. South Carolina Federal has 17 branches, and more than 75 ATMs throughout Charleston, Columbia and Georgetown. In 2008, South Carolina Federal for the second consecutive year was voted one of the Best Places to Work in the state. More information about South Carolina Federal can be found at scfederal.org or on the SiMPLE CENTS blog at simplecentsblog.org.

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