Flooding in Tanzania

London, 1 May 2024

World Villages is appealing for support for repairs to Kisarawe Girlstown due to damage caused by flooding.

Heavy rain and flooding in Dar es Salaam has caused damage to Kisarawe Girlstown and Kiluvya Training Centre & Nursery. The flooding washed away roads, causing damage to several vehicles, and flooding buildings in the Kisarawe Girls’ school.

“The downpour of rains has affected the access of roads to our school. Making transportation and travel difficult for our Sisters and staff. This has caused several damages to the school vehicles used by our Sisters to buy the daily goods and necessities of the children.”

“On the late afternoon of April 18, 2024, with a seriously heavy downpour of rain accompanied by thunder and lightning, two of our Sisters used the car to go out and buy the school supplies needed by children, and made a call to our office requesting help as the car had suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. With God’s grace, we also had one Sister who went out that day to buy the food and other needs. So, our office made a call asking the Sister to help in towing the Hilux car back to our Day Care and Training Centre compound at Kiluvya, Dar es Salaam, using the Toyota Landcruiser. The Hilux car was under repair, so we were not able to use it for the next whole week.” – Sister Merry Jane.

Access roads washed away

Flooding has damaged and washed away many of the access roads between the school and Dar es Salaam, making journeys out to buy food very difficult. Sister Lucy shared her experience trying to navigate the roads to reach the market:

“We took a long time to reach Kariako (a major marketplace in Dar Es Salaam) because the roads were flooded. It also took a long time to leave the place because there are only two roads that everyone can use. It took us 5 hours before we got home, while the normal time is 1 hour or 1.5 hours. We couldn’t even get out of the car to shop because the water was knee-deep.” – Sister Lucy.

Two of the vehicles used by the schools for transport to and from the market and for transporting staff have been damaged and need repair. At Kisarawe Girlstown, one of the lower rooms has flooded and needs urgent assessment.

Flood damage to school building

“Also unfortunately, in the past week, the control room of the Cistern tank was flooded due to the heavy rain where the fire pumps are located. These fire pumps submerged into the flood and it was damaged. As a result, we need an immediate checking, repairing and testing of the fire pumps.” – Sister Merry Jane

Large parts of East Africa including Tanzania, Kenya, and Burundi are experiencing severe flooding as a result of several weeks of heavy rain. The Tanzanian government reports a death toll of 155 people. The flooding has affected 200,000 people and 51,000 households (Al Jazeera).

The heavy rain is ongoing and whole communities have been seriously affected by the recent heavy flooding. Many have had their homes and livelihoods washed away. The children at school are safe but the school buildings and vehicles need urgent repair. We are continuing to monitor the situation as the rainy season continues.

World Villages is appealing for help in providing the necessary support and funds to ensure these repairs can be made urgently.

For all enquiries please contact

Carey Evans – cevans@worldvillages.org.uk

Notes to editors

World Villages for Children is an international non-profit organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty through education. With a commitment to providing the world’s poorest children with access to quality education, vocational training, and essential life skills, to help them transform their lives and contribute to their communities.