Gunge Safi Update

The very rural village of Gunge has been waiting a long time for water.

Since the 1930s.

During WWII, the German army “drafted” Tanzanians to fight the British, and many of the Tanzanian men in this area were forced into service.  One small group escaped with their families one night and fled into the desert…settling in the place now called Gunge.  Later, it became a place for refugees from many parts of Africa to settle, and has been a tight-knit community ever since.

Gunge is located near the Pangani River, so the people of the village have dug many miles of  irrigation canal, and created an 800-acre field which they share as a community to grow food.  Unfortunately, the intake into their irrigation canal is under constant attack by not only flood waters during the rainy season, but also the resident hippos and crocodiles moving around at night.

In ETI’s newest water project, called the Gunge Safi Project, the intake will be reconstructed with gabion stones in wire mesh baskets to shore up the bank, and improve the flow of water to the fields.  In a recent visit by board member Sheri Krumm, final plans were made with the village leadership, a contractor was hired, and everyone agreed on that a contract will be signed in July, and work will begin as soon as possible.

Once the water is flowing to the fields, the next step will be to bring drinking water to the village, either by well or via pipes and pumps from the river.  This will be the first time since the formation of the village that there will be fresh water for household use and human consumption less than a mile from the village, and accessible without danger of crocodile attacks.

We continue to fund-raise for this project, so if you are inspired, go to the Donate page, and help us any way you can.  Your generous support is what makes projects like this possible.