Well Done
Paul Janes-Brown
Photos
In 2008, Ambrose gave a presentation to the Rotary club, which included a video about the people of Tabora, who were in desperate need of potable water. One of the biggest barriers to educational development in the area is the time needed for women and girls to gather water daily. To help resolve that problem, Ambrose facilitated the installation of a well there in 2004 in honor of her late daughter, Carina. But more needed to be done, and the presentation moved the Rotary Club of Maui to get involved.
Rotary International, a great supporter of water projects all over the world, offers matching funds for local and district clubs that want to finance international water projects. But there was a problem.
So in order to overcome a Rotary International matching-grant snafu, Nason, also the vice president of Royal Hawaiian Movers, came up with a brilliant funding idea. He knew that the newly renovated Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua was storing furnishings in his company’s warehouse, so he approached Ritz-Carlton Chief Engineer Joe Robillard and proposed that the surplus be donated to the Rotary Club of Maui to raise money for the water project. Ritz-Carlton General Manager Tom Donovan generously agreed.
This fundraiser held earlier this year netted more than $30,000 for the club; $11,000 of which was to go to the people of Tabora to finance water projects.
“Without the enlightened and generous philanthropy of the Ritz-Carlton, this project would simply have been impossible—it would not have happened,” said Nason. “Both the Rotary Club of Maui and the people of Tabora are most grateful to them.”
The Development Office of the Episcopal Diocese of Tabora had a capable person on staff to facilitate the project. Christopher N.M. Nyamwanji was experienced in managing water projects and was the point person for the Carina Water Well financed through Ambrose’s efforts in 2004. And to further ensure the project’s success, Ambrose went to Tanzania at her own expense to supervise the project for the club.
In April, the first installment of funds was transferred, and the people and village leaders of Tabora met with Nyam-wanji to discuss the project. In May, Nyamwanji reported that the project was complete—a 25,000-liter water catchment system was ready to serve up to 350 people in the school community.
In June, Ambrose arrived to supervise the larger water project. It took a month, but on July 9, the well was complete, and a hand pump provided fresh, clean water to 400 people.
A consultant was then hired to conduct a sanitation survey. Hygiene promoters from the community and school received training on good hygiene practices—especially on water-born diseases, prevention of water-born and communicable diseases, and good hygiene practices.
Posters were distributed to educate and help create awareness, and will be used at village and school levels as training tools by hygiene promoters.
Despite Ambrose’s frustration with the slow speed at which the African society operates compared to the U.S., she remains committed to the area and intends to continue raising funds to install other wells in this community. She and Nyamwanji are discussing setting up an NGO [non-governmental organization] in order to develop more projects to raise the standard of living for those in need in Tanzania.
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