Hacketstown man, Jim Kavanagh is off to Tanzania to bring freshwater to villages in need

OVER the past four decades, Hacketstown man Jim Kavanagh has been delivering fresh, clean drinking water to the people of Tanzania and elsewhere throughout Africa through his Uisce for Tanzania charity.

Jim first ventured to Tanzania in 1983 as a fresh-faced 21-year-old after feeling compelled to provide assistance on the ground, having become aware of the water situation for so many people in the country. A welder and fabricator by trade, Jim later pursued a career in heating and plumbing before studying water engineering in the UK, hence his expertise on the subject.

“The stuff that the people are drinking over there is the worst type of water imaginable,” Jim tells me.

“They would walk ten miles for a bucket of that,” Jim says, showing me a picture he took of a grimy pool of water from one of his more recent visits to Tanzania.

“What they did before we installed the system was leave the water in a container until all the dirt settles down to the bottom and then they took the water off the top of it. But that is cruel stuff to have to drink,” he added.

Jim is heading to Tanzania again at the end of May, where he will stay for three months, completing yet another vital water project that will, hopefully, provide people with safe drinking water for generations.

He despairs at the level of water waste in Ireland and at seeing basic infrastructure projects at home running into the millions when he can change so many lives with such a modest sum.

However, he faces a challenge in raising the required amount of €50,000 to complete the project and is appealing to the people of Carlow to donate the small sum of €1.

“If everyone in Carlow could just donate €1, the difference that would make to so many people’s lives is extraordinary,” says Jim.

All of the money raised goes directly into providing a fresh drinking water supply in the village, with Jim sourcing all the material for the project himself when in Tanzania. He is then assisted in the construction of the pumping station by village locals.

Jim is assisted by the charity’s other member, accountant Michael O’Brien, who transfers the money to Jim when required before travelling out to Tanzania when the taps are officially turned on.

On arrival in Tanzania in May, Jim will base himself in the Mbulu district in the north of the country before he goes out to the village of Dangwalda to complete the project. He says selecting which village to focus on each year is a difficult process as there is such a demand for clean drinking water across the Mbulu district.

“I can’t keep up with demand – there are so many villages looking for help,” he said.

“Out of dozens and dozens of villages, I have to select the worst of them and, believe me, they are all bad, they are all top priority. It is a very hard call because you are dealing with a human being’s basic right,” he added.

“The pressure is unreal, but what keeps me going is that moment when the water is turned on – that is payback time,” says Jim. “There is no better feeling.” 

You can donate to Uisce for Tanzania by visiting the charity’s website at www.uiscefortanzania.ie or using the link Donate to Uisce For Tanzania.