True Grasses has been working in the Sungwi villages in Kisarawe since 2013 and has travelled for hours with women and girls in search for water. As people have died due to the lack of basic sanitation, the necessity for clean water became very evident. We have been talking to villagers that had received access to a water well and heard them testify that cholera and other water borne diseases were completely eliminated from their villages after being able to fetch water from a well.

The water problem compelled True Grasses to want to immerse ourselves in making a difference by starting the water well project in late 2015. We did this during the height of the dry season so that we could find a relieable water source for the whole year. Though we were cautious, our first attempt to dig a well did not provide enough water and so we decided to make the well deeper. This was done during the second half of the past year. The well is now serving the six villages of Kisanga, Mtembetini, Mkololo, Sungwi, Masaki and Mji Mpya with fresh clean drinking water. It was a remarkable experience and quite a party when water well started producing water. Villagers were celebrating along the path with music as we drove by. Kids were running and screaming, “maji maji” (the Swahili word for water) and the “thank yous” lasted for days.

We are more convinced than ever that the well in this location is not only safe but is a living testimony of True Grasses calling to empower communities. It is our duty to demonstrate the love of God by loving our African neighbours in these rural Kisarawe villages that need our love and help the most. This has been a big milestone and we thank, among others, the Bosman family from the Netherlands, who helped provide the funds for this project.