Würzburg. Many people know that the city of Würzburg in Mwanza, Tanzania (twin town since 1966) is continuously involved. In recent years there has been a whole series of projects that have been carried out by the city administration with the financial support of Engagement Global and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). These include, for example, the installation of photovoltaic systems on public buildings, a fishing lamp project on Lake Victoria, the further development of “sustainable tourism” and, last but not least, a total of three boreholes that enabled access to clean water.
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The issue of entitlement to clean water is an important one and is defined in the political objectives of the United Nations (UN). The city of Würzburg and Mayor Schuchardt had already campaigned for a better drinking water supply in the twin city of Mwanza in several projects. For this reason, too, the idea arose to develop a project together with the Medical Mission Institute in this area and to apply for funding. After many discussions and preparations, the project application was submitted to Engagement Global and approved on November 7, 2018. The project was sponsored by Mayor Schuchardt, for whom improving the living conditions of the people in Mwanza is a matter close to his heart.
The aim of the project is to combat the tropical disease schistosomiasis, also known as schistosomiasis. The tropical disease is caused by flukes that can be found on the banks of bodies of water. It is a parasitic pair of leeches. According to a WHO estimate, the disease affects over 200 million people worldwide. It is particularly widespread in the region around Lake Victoria, on the banks of which Uganda and Kenya are also located.
The schistosomiasis project of the city of Würzburg and the Medical Mission Institute to combat the disease was carried out on the island of Ijinga (about 40 kilometers east of Mwanza). The primary aim was to provide the 2500 island residents with access to clean water by building a water reservoir. The water from the newly built concrete water tank (90,000 liters) should prevent direct contact with the water in the lake. Because there is a risk of infection lurking in the lake.
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Water tank placed on mountain
Dr. Andreas Müller (Medical Mission Institute Würzburg) and Dr. Humphrey Massigo (Bugando Hospital Mwanza) for many years.
With a three-person team and a project manager, the city of Würzburg enabled the construction of the water tank, the water pipes with a length of around 2.3 kilometers and a total of seven water intake points in Mwanza. With the help of a solar-powered 4 kW pump, the water is transported from the lake through the pipes towards the water reservoir. It is cleaned by sedimentation and chlorine. The water tank is placed on a mountain, and so the water flows into the lower villages. In addition, several “change management trainings” were carried out with the aim of creating awareness of the problem and, as a result, changing behavior in the population.
After around three years, the project was officially inaugurated in November 2021 and the water reservoir was handed over to the population of the island of Ijinga, who will take care of the sustainable use and maintenance of the facility in the future.
Lord Mayor Schuchardt himself was present at the inauguration and praised the cooperation of all those involved and above all the cooperation of the local population. In an emotional speech he addressed the villagers directly: “I wish that schistosomiasis will no longer play a role in the lives of children who will be born on Ijinga in the coming years. I would like us to defeat this disease locally and for the project on Ijinga to serve as an example and role model for many other projects. “
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