Solomoni, Malawi

Meetings on Tuesdays at 9 PM in Anderson 208

The EWB Malawi Project is working with the Solomoni Community in Malawi to help the residents gain access to clean drinking water. In particular, our focus is allowing the primary and secondary schools to have access to clean water. Working with the community, the majority of people have expressed a need for there to be water by the school, as the nearest reliable borehole is fairly far away and many student have to miss large chunks of class time to wait in line at the local well. Throughout the project, the group is working alongside Joshua Orphan and Child Care: an organization that aims to help communities and better the lives of the people within them. Specifically aimed towards childcare and health, the JOCC is helping the Tufts team to get into contact with local construction companies, interview residents, and support the community in any way they can.

In August 2017, the Malawi Project sent three students and an advisor to Solomoni to conduct initial interviews, examine the existing infrastructure and discuss with community leaders the goals for the project. Both the interviews and general exploration of the surrounding areas, the team began to highlight possible uses for existing infrastructure and potential problems that may arise during the construction.With this information, the team focused on the details surrounding the current water shortage in the primary and secondary schools. After returning to the states, the group hopes to design and test the possible system for pumping water to the schools, and hopefully plans to return next summer to begin the installation process for the water distribution system!