Recent Projects
June 2023 – Clean Water for Soko, Tanzania
We receive many requests for boreholes, but this project is a bit different. The villagers of Soko near Kilimanjaro in Tanzania were struggling with salty water from shallow boreholes when they decided to combine their funds to pay for the drilling of a deeper one. They were relieved when a drilling company managed to find a good spot and at 150 ft reached a decent supply of fresh, safe water. Unfortunately, their money had all been used to reach this point and they couldn’t afford the cost of the submersible pump, electricity supply or water tank. This is when their parish priest turned to SPICMA.
The villagers have done well getting this far and we would like to help them finish the project. The sooner they can easily access fresh water, the better their lives will be. This is just one of scores of water projects submitted to us each year. We support a large proportion, but must turn away many due to lack of funds.
Appeal fully funded, thank you.
June 2023 – Rebuilding after the floods in Pakistan
Now that the emergency phase has passed, the focus is on rehabilitation and rebuilding. In particular, displaced families, having re-turned to their villages, are rebuilding their houses. Building materials are very expensive and hard to access; however, they are struggling as best they can. A missionary priest we know well has come up with a plan and would like some financial help. The families would build the walls of their homes themselves and, when they reach the roof level, they would become eligible to receive the following: one iron girder 14 feet in length, 12 bamboo roof rafters sixteen feet in length, roof matting and 7 metres of plastic. This would be enough for them to have one dry room and would cost approximately £70/family. He is hoping to help 100 families in this way.
Although the tragedy is no longer in the headlines, the struggle goes on and we know this project would significantly benefit a number of poor families.
Appeal fully funded, thank you.
March 2023 – Classroom renovations St Michael’s Primary School, Giriama, Kenya
St Michael’s Primary School was founded in 1901 by the missionary Holy Ghost Fathers (Spiritans). It has more than 900 students and some are taught in clearly inadequate and dangerous buildings. Poverty levels are high around the school and parents are unable to contribute to any renovations. Fr Innocent Moshi asked for our help in replacing doors and windows and re-roofing several of the blocks. This would certainly improve the learning environment and safety for the entire school community.
Appeal fully funded, thank you.
March 2023 – Clean Water for Namakeba School, Uganda
Namakeba School is located on an island in Lake Victoria. Like many schools in the developing world, there is no running water on tap and the students must collect whatever water is needed in containers from the nearest source. This can be a dangerous task as there is always a risk of accidents, contamination and crocodiles in Lake Victoria. Br Godfrey Onyango is a Marian Brother and Deputy Head of the school. He describes the situation as the children collect water in this video (opens in a new window). He has asked SPICMA for funds to purchase tanks and guttering so that the school roofs can be used to harvest the rainwater. The amount needed is £7,050.
SPICMA receives more requests for sourcing clean water than for any other type of project and far more than we can possibly fund. Should this appeal raise more than the amount required for Namakeba School, we’ll direct the additional donations towards other communities seeking similar help.
Project fully funded, thank you.
November 2022 – New Classroom Block for Mlunduni Primary School, Malawi
Mlunduni Primary School was established in 1976. It’s located in the southern part of the Malawian district of Dedza, a very
remote rural area. Fr. Alfred Genesis Kalumbi, the new parish priest, has asked for our help to build a double classroom block.
At the moment the children are taught in open thatched shelters, under trees or even in the open air. The poor and uncomfortable learning conditions mean some children drop out of education altogether or make the journey – on foot – to another primary school 29 kilometres away. A permanent building would be an enormous help in keeping the children safe, comfortable and happy.
The school serves a community which faces many problems. Family life is difficult, with a large proportion of single parent
families. Many men seek work in South Africa and can’t always return home. Grandparents are often left to look after children orphaned by AIDS and other diseases. It’s an isolated location, 93 kilometres from the nearest national secondary schools and the District Education Offices.
Project fully funded, thank you.
November 2022 – Borewells for Drought Stricken Area of Andrha Pradesh, India
Fr. Govindu Rayanna, Director of the Guntur Diocese Social Service and Welfare Society, has asked for our help to provide fresh drinking water for five villages in the Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh. Although clean drinking water is a precious commodity essential for health, it’s not readily avail-able for the 11,951 people living in the five villages.
The project will locate uncontaminated ground water and provide five borewells with handpumps. The area is one of the worst-affected by drought and has received no government help to improve the situation. Many of the residents (23%) belong to Scheduled Castes who face extreme social discrimination and caste-based violence. Another 9% belong to Scheduled Tribes, indigenous people who were originally forest dwellers. They are among the poorest of the poor in India. The borewells will improve health and prosperity in this deprived area.
Project fully funded, thank you.
September 2022 – Aid for Flood Victims in Pakistan
