Amina brings a wellspring of hope to her community

At her home outside of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Amina’s days once began with a burden. As a mother of four—her children ranging from school-age to young adult—she would rise before dawn to collect water from a source thirty minutes away. The walk was long, the wait even longer, and the return trip left little time for anything else.

“We’d have to wait another thirty minutes just to get our turn,” she recalls her trips back-and-forth to a government well. “It delayed everything—cooking, cleaning, even getting the kids ready for school.”

Water was essential, yet inaccessible. And Amina knew something had to change.

With quiet determination, she dug a well. She was able to do this using a small affordable loan made possible through our local financial partner in her community. After digging the well, Amina also financed the installation of a pipe system to bring water directly to her home. What began as a solution for her family quickly became a lifeline for her community. Neighbors came to collect water from her home, shortening their own journeys and reclaiming their time.

Seeing the growing demand, Amina expanded. She dug a second well, added tanks, and eventually introduced a metered system to deliver water directly to nearby homes. What once required hours of labor could now be accessed with the turn of a tap. And Amina, had found a way to earn income for her family while also making a positive difference in the lives of the friends and neighbors she loves.

“I’ve taken the buckets down from their heads,” she says proudly. “They can finish their housework early and go out to earn a living. I’ve liberated myself—and helped them liberate themselves too.”

Through our work, and thanks to her dogged determination to give her friends and family access to safe water, today Amina operates six water tanks. Her initiative has transformed not just her life, but the lives of hundreds of families who now have lasting access to safe water for cooking, laundry, bathing and more.

“Water means a lot to me,” she says. “There isn’t much that can be done without it. I’m happy I no longer have to struggle—and even happier that they don’t either.”

Amina’s story is a testament to how affordable access to safe water can unlock the power of one person’s courage to create lasting change. Thanks to your support of our work, Amina transformed the future for herself, her children, and her community in Tanzania.