Working Ourselves Out of a Job

Our goal is sustainability. When we plan for a project, we include a goal for when the community members in Tanzania benefiting will take ownership of the project. The best-case scenario in everything we do involves us working ourselves out of a job.

In 2017, Empower Tanzania set out to provide clean water to the more than 1,750 people of the village of Njiro. After funding the project, Empower Tanzania staff worked alongside government officials, well drilling companies, and community members to engineer a new system, purchase a solar pump, solar panels, and control equipment, procure proper testing of functionality and water quality, purchase necessary tanks, pipes, and valves, administer civil work, engineer and build six distribution points throughout the community, and engage with community for proper buy-in and train locals, enabling them to fix mechanical problems that should arise and establish a local management committee. For two years, the over 1,750 community members used those six distribution points originally installed with great successes.

Encouraged by all the benefits that come with having access to clean water, the community took it upon themselves to fund and build NINE more distribution points to serve even more people! They were assisted by the Roman Catholic Diocese for three of the distribution points and the other six were funded by the sale of goats.

We are absolutely thrilled to see the ownership the community of Njiro has taken over this project and the expansion they were able to complete independently.