Tanzania

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Tanzania, like many African countries, has undergone drought and hunger, which climate change has only exasperated. Rose Mbwawa, an eleven year-old, explains the life of a person who subsists on what she has; Rose never takes water as a given.

"Every day, I get up and have a wash, clean my teeth, do some cleaning around the home, and then go to school. After school I go to collect water for my family. In the old days, everything was terrible. We all had diarrhea and worms because of dirty water. But now, we've got clean water; it's much better. People do not get ill now. I have learned at school that if you go to the toilet you must wash your hands.

If you've got dirty hands you should wash them with soap and clean water. We use water for cooking, cleaning, drinking, washing, and bathing." Children in Tanzania, like Rose, pictured here, regularly draw their water from subterranean wells, which can be hazardous to health. Libby Clarke and Kelly Jones from Water Aid provided Rose’s story and picture.

Tanzania, the 31st largest country in the world, contains many diverse landscapes and ecological preserves, including Mount Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti National Park. It was in west Tanzania that Jane Goodall performed her famous studies on chimpanzees in the Gombe National Park.