In the community of Nisungwi, in Tanzania, there are 189 children living in an orphanage established by the government and run by nuns. These children have albinism, and they are given up at birth by their families because there is a superstition in Sub-Saharan Africa that albino children are not human. They are hunted for their body parts and even killed, simply because they lack pigment in their skin, hair and eyes. They are thought to be ghosts or haunted beings.
The children living in the albino orphanage in Nisungwi have been without a functioning well for almost a year. As a result, the children had to walk more than three miles to reach another water source. On the journey, they were ridiculed and had rocks thrown at them. They were also at risk of being killed or kidnapped every time they left the orphanage.
WaterStep Field Consultant Jerald Melamba (pictured above) visited the orphanage and was struck by the terrible and demoralizing situation the children were in. He surveyed the broken well and within weeks, the well had a brand new hand pump and concrete pad and was functioning properly. Jerald also installed an M-100 ChlorineGenerator to make the water safe to drink and gifted the orphanage with a BleachMaker so they can sanitize surfaces.
Jerald told us, “When the children realized they could now get water right outside their home, they immediately knelt down and began praying in thankfulness. It was such a heartwarming moment. I don’t have words to express how it felt to witness. I’m so thankful we were able to help these hurting kids.”
Thank you, Jerald, for bringing joy and peace to these children. We are so thankful to have you on the WaterStep team saving lives with safe water!