Philanthropy
By Sandra Vaughan , Grand Circle Foundation Project Manager , East Africa
A Wellspring of Hope
Drilling for water in East Africa
Right : The drilling team and members of the Tarangire Maasai community celebrate successfully accessing fresh water at Eluway .
A Day in the Life of a Karatu Village
“ The water can only flow thanks to the well .” — African Proverb
Created by Max Tyrrell , first-time traveler from Knoxville , TN
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Fresh water flows from the drilling rig for the first time .
You can learn more about projects around the world or make a donation at Grand Circle Foundation ’ s website .
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If you ’ ve been watching the news , you may have seen stories about the lack of sufficient rains in Africa , and the worry of possible famine as crops cannot grow and livestock is dying . As part of Grand Circle Foundation ’ s WASH ( Water , Sanitation and Hygiene ) Initiative , we funded a water drilling rig ($ 246,000 ) in partnership with Wine to Water , led by our friend , Doc Hendley , to provide access to water at the schools and villages the Foundation supports in East Africa .
After permitting delays , government delays , and ensuring all the proper authorities were notified and gave approval , the team was finally able to drill on May 12 , 2022 . They began drilling at 8am , and successfully hit water at 2pm . The drilling team is a mix of Christian and Muslim men , working together ( not common in Tanzania ) learning about and from each other .
The Eluway Primary School is a mixed gender school in the heart of Tarangire educating 294 Maasai children in the area . It ’ s not very old — registered in 2012 with only one teacher and 54 children — but it ’ s grown quickly . The unique thing about this school is the community built it under the leadership of Chief Lobulo . He actioned the community leaders to collect a cow from each homestead , which he then sold to build the classrooms and the office . The ladies gave 20 % of their jewelry sales to build the toilets on site . And now they have water !
Before the drilling , girls were sent on a 45-minute round trip to fetch a five-gallon bucket of water , return to school , and pour it into a large 2,600-gallon storage tank . This trip was done several times a day and amounted to about three to four hours of wasted classroom time . Meanwhile , sitting at the top of the storage tanks were the boys , who hauled the five-gallon bucket up to the top . No mean feat , and again another huge waste of valuable classroom time .
This is an incredibly emotional moment . Our O . A . T . travelers , who generously donated to Wine to Water to purchase this drill rig , have changed the lives of thousands of people in the Tarangire community .
Thank you so much for traveling with OAT and supporting Grand Circle Foundation . I hope our paths cross if you are in the area .
34 DISPATCHES • AUGUST 2022