H₂O Reporters return from Tanzania

Angharad helps out carrying water.

Credit: WaterAid

The winners of our H₂O Reporter competition have filmed a personal record of their trip to WaterAid's project work in Tanzania.

The winning short films highlighted the world's water and sanitation crisis, and now the young film makers got to see the crisis first hand. Alexandra Lindsay, Angharad Thomas and Zartash Javaid joined Dutch winners on a trip of a lifetime - visiting communities in Mchemwa, Gawaye, Chingongwe and Msembeta, Tanzania.

The first village they visited was the village Mchemwa where there is no clean water or toilets, WaterAid is due to start work there in December. In Mchemwa, the community queues to collect dirty, contaminated water from hand dug holes.

Nothing prepared Zartash for what she saw:

"I was with a woman who had to climb down a well with a baby on her back. I think it was about two or three metres deep and so narrow and dark. I went down there and almost reached the water. I could see how dirty it was and was taken aback. It was really sad."

The girls also helped build a concrete foundation for a diesel water pump in Chingongwe, participated in a school lesson and interviewed women about the importance and burden of water and sanitation in Msembeta.

They will all speak of their experiences at the premier of their film at this year's WaterAid Annual Supporters Meeting (ASM).