beast of the east
Active member
Here is something some of you guys may be interested in:
http://www.kisangajiproject.org/index.cfm
At this time of year, we all scramble to provide gifts that many of us simply don't need, lavish or not. Some of the money that may be earmarked this way may be better served to the above charity.
By chance I met the person a few months back who started this grass roots effort in Tanzania. Kisangaji is a small village, with no electricity, and almost no potable water. The charity first funded the building of a school and housing for teachers to come and live. The house and school, called a bhoma (sp??) cost about $5,000 U.S. to build. The next project is more formidable with greater health ramifications.
The people in this village have one mostly in disrepair hand well for water. As a result they get their drinking, bathing, and irrigation water from a river. Runoff of waste from grazing cattle makes cholera and other bacterial borne diseases a serious health problem. The kisangaji project hopes to build an additional series of hand pumped wells to alleviate this problem. The cost per well is anywhere from $4,000 - $7,000. It was explained to me that in Africa, until you do something you never really know what it will cost - that and the difference that you encounter in terms of the depth needed to drill to find an adequate supply of water.
I've checked out this charity, and they spend nearly 100% of donations directly on the village, with a little for their website. Volunteers who visit the village do so at their own expense. It seems to me that any money donated has a direct effect on the basic human needs that we enjoy every day and give little thought to, like free public education, or simply turning on a faucet or flushing a toilet.
Thanks for listening, and if you are so inclined, make a donation. I jsut did, and have a feeling it's the best holiday gift I just bought.
http://www.kisangajiproject.org/index.cfm
At this time of year, we all scramble to provide gifts that many of us simply don't need, lavish or not. Some of the money that may be earmarked this way may be better served to the above charity.
By chance I met the person a few months back who started this grass roots effort in Tanzania. Kisangaji is a small village, with no electricity, and almost no potable water. The charity first funded the building of a school and housing for teachers to come and live. The house and school, called a bhoma (sp??) cost about $5,000 U.S. to build. The next project is more formidable with greater health ramifications.
The people in this village have one mostly in disrepair hand well for water. As a result they get their drinking, bathing, and irrigation water from a river. Runoff of waste from grazing cattle makes cholera and other bacterial borne diseases a serious health problem. The kisangaji project hopes to build an additional series of hand pumped wells to alleviate this problem. The cost per well is anywhere from $4,000 - $7,000. It was explained to me that in Africa, until you do something you never really know what it will cost - that and the difference that you encounter in terms of the depth needed to drill to find an adequate supply of water.
I've checked out this charity, and they spend nearly 100% of donations directly on the village, with a little for their website. Volunteers who visit the village do so at their own expense. It seems to me that any money donated has a direct effect on the basic human needs that we enjoy every day and give little thought to, like free public education, or simply turning on a faucet or flushing a toilet.
Thanks for listening, and if you are so inclined, make a donation. I jsut did, and have a feeling it's the best holiday gift I just bought.