Migambo Secondary School ISSB Tank Project

Location: Migambo, Lushoto, Tanga, Tanzania

Community Description
Migambo is a village located near Mkuzi rainforest, sitting sixteen kilometers from Lushoto in the Usambara Mountains.
Within the village there are two secondary schools, two primary schools, as well as one carpentry and one masonry training school. Most villagers are subsistence farmers. Migambo is known throughout the area for its high agricultural production, where farmers are capable of growing anything from cabbage and taro root to raspberries and loquat.

Problem Addressed
There was no water supply at the school. Students would miss significant portions of the school day while fetching water from nearby springs, which are polluted by local agriculture. Due to the time and effort required to fetch water, there is not enough to fulfill the schools basic needs, such as flushing toilets, water for washing hands, water for drinking, and water for cooking.

Project Description
This project is to build a rainwater catchment system at the school. The water storage tank will be built using Interlocking Stabilized Soil Brick (ISSB) technology. The technique, which uses soil, cement, and sand to make bricks, can be seen in the projects completed under our Interlocking Stabilized Soil Bricks Water Tank Program-Uganda.
This is a new technology to Migambo village, where community members are currently using kiln-fired bricks that require firewood from the neighboring rainforest.
An ISSB press will be purchased and used for the project. It will be given to the masonry training school, whose members will do the work on the project. The use of the press will reduce the cost of this project as well as for any future masonry-related projects implemented by the training school.
Under the direction of the Migambo Project Committee, a 3,000-liter rainwater storage tank will be constructed using bricks made with the press. A system of gutters will be affixed to the roof of the school and connected by piping to the tank. All of the labor will be contributed by the masonry school and other members of the community. Water charity funds will pay for the materials, including the press, cement, gutters, and tap.

Project Impact
150 people will immediately benefit from the project, including secondary school students and teachers. The masonry training school will own the press, which can be used in countless future development projects.