WORLD Vision Tanzania has handed over to the government a number of completed projects worth 824.5m/- covering health, water and child protection in Zombo, Ulaya and Muhenda wards in Kilosa District, Morogoro Region

Shaka Hamdu Shaka, the Kilosa district commissioner, said at a handover event at Zombo ward on Thursday that works implemented under the wider project benefit over 14,000 people in 13 villages.

This stimulates change in facilitating even the vulnerable to access essential social services like water, education and health, he said, noting that the main project took off in 2015, with the construction of classrooms, libraries, dispensaries as well as water supply infrastructure.

It has brought relief to the residents who for years have been grappling to access the important services, applauding the global charity for stimulating change in the district and putting an unforgettable mark on the life of the residents.

He emphasized the need to safeguard the projects to secure livelihoods and ensure their sustainability for future generations, while Elisei Chilala, the project coordinator, said that the first project involved construction of a water tank, pump hut, installation of solar power and supply of water at Zombo village.

It was followed by building schools with 10 water fetching centres benefiting more than 400 villagers, costing upwards of 100m/-.

A water project at Madudumizi village took up 100,566,200/-, seeing a deep water well, a water pumping house, solar power facility, two water tanks and supplying water in the village, school and dispensary. Seven water centres were built for the use of more than 2,400 people, he said.

At Ulaya Mbuyuni village a water well was rehabilitated along with a 50,000 litres water tank to supply water to the village, school and dispensary. Five water fetching centres took up 145,786,614/- benefiting 2,418 people, he said.

 “We have also constructed a dispensary building at a cost of 183m/- as well as a maternity ward at 87,033,661/-.enabling over 2,000 residents to access quality health services,” he said.

Medical equipment worth 7.23m/- comprising two delivery beds, two hospital beds, two examination beds as well as one digital BP machine were provided, along with two baby scales and two sets of birth control equipment.

Four classrooms, administration building, library and purchase of 120 desks at Madudumizi Primary School was altogether pegged at 198, 929,592/-, with 762 pupils enrolled there, he said.

Iddi Kyande, a Madudumizi resident, appreciated World Vision efforts, saying it was a joy to the villagers who for years woke up early in the morning to begin the long walk to get water.

Hadija Iddi, a resident, said they used to walk up to 2km daily searching for water which is also not safe, affecting income generating activities and impacting family life too.

Vicent Lusinde, the Zombo ward councillor, said that Nyali, Madudumizi and Nyameni-Zombo endured water snags for long, thus the water projects in the villages are a saviour.

They will greatly help women, the major victims of waking up during night to seek for the precision liquid, to obviate all these conflicts, he added.