While in Africa in 2022, we befriended and bonded with Deonidas Loserian, Deo for short. We have stayed in touch. Deo grew up in a village in Tanzania without easy access to water. He shared with us that he was able to raise funds and coordinate bringing water tanks to his village. 

Recently Deo let us know that a remote village of more than 5000 people, Njoroi in the ward of Ololosokwan, has a really big water problem. The government dug a well, but it needs renovations to function. The government has now abandoned the well, which was about nine miles from the village homesteads. This has led to a lack of: clean, consumable water; water for cattle in the dry season; water for irrigating schools, trees, gardens, and water for other domestic uses. The villagers, especially women and children, travel almost two miles to fetch water from untreated wells. The water from these untreated wells is used for livestock and people. This has created significant issues from water-borne diseases. In addition, with global warming, having a consistent water supply also acts as a buffer against the increasing unpredictability of weather patterns. Lengthening periods of drought or unexpected dry spells can drastically affect the availability of water. In such scenarios, water tanks act as safety nets, providing much needed consistency in water supply.