Thank you Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation
GSP was awarded a grant from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, (BMSF) to expand our project to purchase and install an additional 400 Hydraid BioSand Water Filters in schools, households and hospitals/health clinics – impacting over 100,000 people.
Water is the Life-Line of Life
Our “Water is the Life-Line of Life” projects are built on three years of cultivating relationships with teachers, students, grass-roots public-private partnerships and national and local government leaders (who have served as our early promoters and allies), creating a strong infrastructure for community support and project implementation of the Hydraid Biosand Filters (BSF).
The implementation of GSP’s projects are unique, because we’ve developed a strategic distribution plan designed to train and empower teachers to install their Hydraid® BioSand water filters. In addition, the District Education Officers (DEO’s) have put the ownership of the project in the hands of the Headmasters/teachers (the children also play a significant role in the construction of “their” filters), which gives us a build in workforce and the teachers live beside the beneficiaries, which creates support and acceptance of the BSF and raises awareness of its affordability; addressing the fundamental issues of poverty and “handouts” — opening the door towards accountability as we move forward into installing filters into health clinics, hospitals, communities/ households — empowering women to close the gap of recommendation. This type of coordinated effort will set the tone for the rest of the country and will help drive the success and sustainability of the project well after GSP has gone to setup clean water projects in other communities and countries.
The community support that GSP has received through our outreach efforts has raised awareness and
created more demand for the filters, which will help drive the success and sustainability of the project well after GSP has gone to further expand our clean water projects into other communities and countries.
- GSP installed over 200 filters in 70 primary and secondary schools and 100 households in the Meru District, Arusha and the Karatu District, Tanzania impacting over 45,000 students (and their teachers) and households.
- Partner with local community bank: set up saving accounts for women, so they can save money to purchase a filter for their families (closing the gap of recontamination – filters in school and at home). The bank also offers other banking tools (e.g. mobile banking, using the ATM machine,
talking to a teller, etc.) removing barriers for women to feel comfortable with using a bank to
also save for other household goals. - GSP will be installing additional filters in government and private schools in the Meru and Karatu District’s.
- GSP will be installing 200 filters in households in the Karatu District.
- GSP will be installing filters in 1 hospital, 29 dispensaries and health clinics in the Meru District.
- GSP is fundraising to purchase and ship 100,000 BPA free and environmentally friendly water bottles
Additional Projects – GSP:
- Donated sand and gravel to help build a laboratory in one of our secondary schools
- Installed new floors at one of our primary schools
- will be painting dorm rooms and improving bathrooms
Thank you GSP!
Uraki teacher reading a “thank you” note from the community
“WE ARE REALLY GRATEFUL TO EVERYONE, PARTICULARLY TO YOUR NGO THAT MADE ALL THIS “MIRACLE” FOR OUR TANZANIAN KIDS! The Head Teacher OPENLY expressed her gratitude to you (Kimberly) and your organization. She said you are really a VERY ACTIVE and SERIOUS PERSON when it comes to QUALITY and IMPLEMENTATION of BSF!”
Dr. Hilonga, Professor, The Nelson Mandela Institute of Science and Technology
Teacher Training Days!
As you know the event on September 30th was great and the training’s are also going great and it’s only the 2nd day! Dr. Hilonga arranged for his Ph.D and Master’s grad students to help facilitate the filter and pilot laboratory training’s and we are so lucky to have them training our teachers! We are now setting up the dates and times for delivery of the sand, gravel and filters and we need the lorry to transport them.
We will be installing filters in over 50 schools and each filter weighs over 65 kg. Secondary schools will receive at least 4 per school to experiment with in their pilot labs and primary schools will receive 2 or 3. We are trying to put the pilot labs in all the secondary schools selected by November 1st, so we are asking that the lorry drop off the sand, gravel and filters to each school next week, October 13 – 17 and the following week October 20 – 25. Training ends on Friday, October 10 and I will have the list of all of the schools by the end of the day on Friday. The installations will also start on Monday, October 13 (will follow the truck!).
The training’s are being held at Mariado Secondary school from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm, so please feel free to stop by. I’m sure the teachers will appreciate your support.
In addition, we are also expecting a special guest to come to Arusha and conduct site visits to see our school projects. This is a very important donor (from the company in the United States) and I would like to set up a meeting with Mama Mchome, Mr. Moshi and Mr. Mrema to meet with Dr. Sode on Wednesday, October 15th in the morning when he arrives. I’m waiting to hear back from him regarding what time he will arrive and what time he will be available. It’s important that the donor meets with the stakeholders to ensure the project is worthy of future funding. Which we all know it is! This will also be a great opportunity to talk about future needs for our schools (e.g. more filters, laboratories, equipment, toilets, etc.). Please make yourselves available – our schools depend on it!
Thank you for your support!
Kimberly Fogg
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