Water at Home: A Game Changer
Fetching water from a public distribution point
Mama Sharifa Seif Rashid (60), a widow living in Mikongi village, Mtama District Council in Lindi Region. She shares her home with her five children, two are primary school students. For many years, her family like everyone else in the village struggled with access to safe and clean water. The entire community depended on just one public water distribution point. Long queues were part of daily life and sometimes they had to walk over 5 kilometers to fetch unsafe water from the valleys.
“Sometimes I would wake up before sunrise and still wait for hours just to get a few buckets of water from the public water distribution point,” Mama Sharifa recalls.
A Life Built on Cashew Farming
To support her family, Mama Sharifa relies on cashew farming. It is her main source of income, helping her cover school needs for her children, food and other basic needs but beyond farming, she carried a dream, to build a guest house in her village. Mikongi receives many visitors yet there is no guest house for them to stay. Mama Sharifa saw this as a business opportunity that could improve her family’s future. She believed the guest house could bring extra income and stability but without reliable water the dream remained out of reach.
“I thought the guest house could change our lives but without water it was difficult” she says.
Her First Home: Built Through Struggle
The house Mama Sharifa and her family currently live in was built using fired clay bricks. But the process was difficult and costly. She had to buy water, wait in long lines and sometimes send people to fetch water from faraway valleys. It took time, money and a lot of effort. That experience made her realize how hard it would be to build a guest house under the same conditions.
Mama Sharifa drawing water from the tap at her home
A New Chapter: Clean and Safe Water Comes to Mikongi
In 2023, DMDO brought clean and safe water to Mikongi village. They increased the number of public water distribution points with a prepaid water system. This helped reduce congestion and made water more affordable and accessible. For Mama Sharifa, this was a turning point. Her family could now collect water from a point just 75 meters from their home. No more long walks, no more waiting for hours.
Water at Home: A Game Changer
Mama Sharifa took it a step further. She connected water directly to her house. Now, clean water flows from her own tap. Her family can access water anytime, without stress or delay. This in-house connection made everything easier and it brought her dream back to life.
“We are very grateful for bringing water to our home, life has become easier, we get water all the time,” she says.
Started Making Bricks
With water at home, Mama Sharifa began making cement bricks in her yard. So far, she has made 3,500 bricks, is a step toward building her guest house with 8 rooms and 3 bathrooms. She believes that with water now available construction will be smoother and faster. Guests will be able to stay comfortably without any water problems.
A Dream in Motion
Mama Sharifa still depends on cashew farming but now she has something more, a dream that’s finally moving forward. Her children are thriving, her home is full of hope and her guest house is on the way. Her story shows how access to water at home can create opportunities, help fulfill dreams and transform lives of the community.
