TÜV Rheinland^®

Building a cistern for a girl's school in Tanzania.

In 2009, TÜV Rheinland donated part of its Christmas presents budget to the German not-for-profit organization Ingenieure ohne Grenzen e.V. (Engineers without Borders).

With the donation, the organization supports the construction of a system for supplying the students and teachers at Baramba Girls Secondary School Ngara in Tanzania with water. A reservoir fed with rainwater that is collected from the roofs during the rainy season is planned to ensure the supply of water.

The project is serving the public good in several respects: By assuring the water supply, the living and learning conditions of the girls have been improved significantly and so have the hygienic conditions. In addition, the laborious task of carrying water can be simplified as well.

The project is designed to help people to help themselves: Experienced staff from Engineers without Borders train inexperienced Tanzanian workers to build water reservoirs. Additionally, teachers and students are instructed in cleaning the tanks. This way, a development process is being initiated in the school, boosting the sense of personal responsibility among students and teaches alike. Local businesses, too benefit from the project as craftsmen and suppliers are involved. .

A total of five reservoirs are planned to be built. Besides this, the overall condition and appearance of the school was improved by giving the roofs a fresh coat of paint and replacing several worn-out and broken parts.