Emariete School Rainwater Harvesting

A group of people in colorful traditional clothing walk past large black water tanks and a building in an outdoor setting.

Vern Lal Global Foundation helped secure sustainable water access for Emariete School, fueling lasting health and hope for the community.

Impact of Our Work

To remedy the lack of a reliable water supply, Vern Lal Global Foundation, in partnership with Well Aware and the Emariete community of Monduli Juu, Tanzania, led the installation of a rainwater harvesting system that now provides safe, clean water for both the school and surrounding families.

Built for sustainability, the system captures rainfall from the school’s roofs and directs it into high-capacity storage tanks. One of these tanks was constructed from concrete by community members, demonstrating both local craftsmanship and shared ownership. The stored water is treated with UV filtration to ensure safety, and a solar-powered pumping system delivers it efficiently throughout the school grounds and for community use. These features make the system dependable in both rainy and dry seasons while minimizing long-term operating costs.

For the 650 students at Emariete School, the impact is transformative. Clean, reliable water keeps classrooms uninterrupted and eliminates the need for long, often dangerous trips to collect water, a daily task that previously fell mostly to girls, depriving them of valuable learning time and opportunities for personal growth and advancement. For the wider community, the system provides a sustainable local source of safe water, improving health outcomes, reducing waterborne illness, and alleviating daily burdens for families.

This initiative demonstrates how thoughtful technology, combined with community effort, can bring enduring change. By investing in rainwater harvesting with solar and UV technology, VLGF, Well Aware, and the Emariete community have secured reliable water for school and community alike, building resilience, safety, and opportunity for generations to come.

Gallery

A man climbs a wooden ladder to the roof of a yellow building while carrying metal sheets, with trees visible in the background.

A group of people observe two men demonstrating the use of an electrical device inside a room with a window.

A blue metal cabinet contains a solar inverter, battery, water filtration system, and related electrical components mounted on a yellow wall.

Multiple hands are washing under running water from a brass outdoor tap, with water splashing around them.

Aerial view of two L-shaped green-roofed buildings surrounded by trees, pathways, and landscaped garden areas.

A single-story school building with blue and yellow walls; a sign in front reads, Education is the most powerful weapon.

A water pump with attached control unit is installed inside a light blue metal cabinet with an open door; green pipes connect to the pump.

A man installs metal gutters on the ground outside a blue building, with more gutters and greenery visible in the background.

Two large black water storage tanks with a metal roof stand on a concrete platform outdoors, surrounded by trees and some concrete blocks.

A group of people in colorful traditional clothing gather around an outdoor sink, using taps to wash their hands.

A long, light blue building with a green metal roof and several windows, situated alongside a dirt and paved path with some trees and greenery nearby.

A man crouches on a concrete walkway, measuring and assembling metal gutters with various tools beside him, next to a building with blue walls and a corrugated metal roof.

Two smiling children with wet faces and shirts stand arm-in-arm outdoors near a yellow wall and a water tap.

A concrete water tank stands next to a single-story building with a tin roof and blue walls, surrounded by trees and dirt ground.

A group of people in colorful clothing gathers around large black water tanks outside a yellow building surrounded by trees.

A person stands on a wooden ladder, installing or repairing a pipe connected to the gutter of a building, with trees visible in the background.