Dodoma, Tanzania - June 19^th, 2018 – This week, the United States Government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and The Coca Cola Foundation (TCCF), through their Water and Development Alliance (WADA) global partnership, commemorated the launch of activities that will transform the lives of more than 70,000 rural Tanzanians. The Coca-Cola Foundation and USAID are supporting project activities with a combined investment of more than US $1 million, primarily focused on an innovative water access project.

“The U.S. Government is pleased to contribute to this enterprising approach to use clean technology to access safe water,” said USAID Tanzania Director of Economic Growth Randall Chester. “The project brings opportunity and know-how to villages to manage their own resilient water system. We are proud to join international and Tanzanian public and private partners in a worthwhile investment that can transform lives.”

The WADA Tanzania project will install or upgrade solar-powered water systems in 36 villages identified by the Tanzanian Ministry of Water and Irrigation across the Dodoma, Kilimanjaro, Mara, Mwanza, Singida, and Tabora regions.

The WADA project will enhance the technical knowledge held in Tanzania’s workforce, through field work and capacity-building collaboration with the University of Dodoma. “The WADA project is a key link for the University of Dodoma academia and students to provide the much needed community service in ensuring sustainability of the village water supplies,” said Professor Flora Fabian, the University of Dodoma’s Director of Research and Publications, Innovations, Consultancy, and Institutional Collaboration.

“For over a decade, The Coca-Cola Company and its Foundation have partnered with USAID, bringing shared opportunity to communities. We are pleased to launch this innovative new project in rural communities in Tanzania, building healthy and resilient villages through improved access to water and sanitation,” said Ahmed Rady, General Manager for Coca-Cola East & Central Franchise.

The sustainability of these systems will be ensured through WADA’s provision of two years of technical support to train and develop water service entrepreneurs in performing basic operations and maintenance tasks. This training will increase the self-reliance of the rural villages, enabling sustained access to a safe water supply. In addition, this project will collaborate with the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, their Regional and District Water Engineers, and staff and students at the University of Dodoma to improve management of groundwater suppliers across the nation. This will include installing a solar-powered water system training program at the University of Dodoma.

According to Marty Kress, Executive Director of the Global Water Institute at Ohio State, "The Ohio State model for sustainable water systems being deployed through this WADA project is focused not just on the installation of wells but also on the deployment of sustainable operating systems – enabling communities to thrive long after this project ends, rather than becoming reliant on its presence in the region."

WADA Tanzania is being implemented by a consortium of partners led by The Ohio State University and managed in Tanzania by WorldServe International. Together, WorldServe International, and Waterboys, an American charity founded by U.S. National Football League (NFL) athlete Chris Long, are contributing $1 million in co-financing to scale project activities.