Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
December 5, 2001
Water project benefits people of Tanzania
Donations needed to finish project just short of goal
As they prepared to enter their golden years, Karlos and Elaine Kaelke hardly suspected that they would spend much of their spare time raising awareness and donations for a water project in Tanzania.
It all began when their son, Marc, took on a three-year commitment to teach subsistence farming in the remote settlements in Tanzania. Upon completing his contract, he decided to stay in Ninga to help the villagers build a pumping system that will bring clean water to the area for the first time.
In need of a determined marketing effort, Marc turned to his parents to help spread the word. The Kaelkes have successfully raised the majority of money needed to fund the project through school fundraisers and individual donations, but more is needed.
The total cost of the project is $56,000. So far, nearly $37,000 has been raised, leaving $19,000 yet to be funded.
In a recent letter to his parents, Marc wrote, "The amount of funds I am asking for may seem large at first glance, but the number of people who will benefit and the long life of the system, I think, justifies the amount."
Four of the top 10 diseases afflicting the villagers of Ninga are directly related to the water problem. The number of skin diseases, intestinal worms, cholera, dysentery and diarrhea will be greatly reduced, if not eradicated.
A vast number of people will benefit from the water system. All the people of Ninga, which consists of 3,500 people, as well as many sub-villages in outlying areas, will have access to clean drinking water as a result of the project.
An abundant supply of water is available, but the village settlements are built on the top of high mountains and the water sources are located deep in the valleys. During rainy season, runoff from the settlements wash contaminants from the latrines, livestock enclosures, and hillside farms into the only sources of water.
In addition, women and children are required to walk three hours each day, carrying five-gallon containers to supply their needs. If not for the daily trips to retrieve water, the women could spend time making and selling baskets, which provides a much-needed source of income, and the children could spend time in school, enabling them to pass the national exams and advance to secondary education.
The type of pump that will be used to pump the water from the valley to the main storage tank is called a hydraulic ram water pump (hydram). A hydram pump uses the force of the water coming from the source (the spring) to power the pumping action. There is no added cost of fuel or electricity to power the pump.
Once the water system is put in place, it would be the property of the villagers.
Tax deductible donations can be sent to: African Water Project, c/o First United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 241, Lockwood, MO 65682.
For additional information, Karlos and Elaine Kaelke can be reached at 417-232-4925. Joe Bortle, the Colorado contact for this fundraising effort, can be reached at 303-722-1600.
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