Jerry Urmanski, Alpharetta RC, Bill St. Clair, District 6910 PDG, RC of Gainesville, PP Arnaud Gahimbare and Pres. Edgar Muganwa, RC Arusha Mt. Meru, Lorri Christopher, Dunwoody RC, and Bob Koncerak, Alpharetta RC.

Edgar Muganwa, Arusha/Mt. Meru club presidenta and Bob Koncerak of Alpharetta Rotary present laptops and the Alpharetta Rotary flag to Njiro school administrators

Students, staff and project team on site at the Njiro school pointng to the well-site. Drill Here, Drill Now!

An Alpharetta Rotary project team returned from a successful, worthwhile trip to Tanzania in early October. Faculty and students at the Njiro school in Arusha were excited to receive three laptops and connection equipment for their computer library—and the administration was TREMENDOUSLY grateful for $7,000 of well-drilling funds raised by the club for the school. The multi-club team included Jerry Urmanski and Bob Koncerak from the Rotary Club of Alpharetta, Lorri Christopher from the Rotary Club of Dunwoody, and District 6910 PDG Bill St. Clair from the Rotary Club of Gainesville.

The Njiro campus serves more than 1,200 primary and secondary school students. Though it is the ‘public’ school for the southern district of Arusha—one of Tanzania’s largest cities, the campus has access to expensive treated water only one week out of each month. While school administrators ingeniously acquired water tanks to store clean water when it is flowing, students still need to carry buckets to a local stream throughout the month for the toilets and other non-potable services. The Rotary Club of Arusha/Mt. Meru (RCAMM) took it upon themselves to fund a groundwater survey to determine if water was available on campus. The report was good—and so the club went in search of a partner. The Rotary Club of Alpharetta accepted the challenge…and so that well is being drilled RIGHT NOW!

The Njiro school isn’t the first international partnership for Arusha/Mt. Meru.Small but mighty, the 26-member club partnered in 2017 with a Norway club to pipe fresh water more than a mile to a Massai boma (village) outside the city. In addition to the Njiro school, the Alpharetta team visited four other projects currently underway by RCAMM that are worthy of sponsorship and cooperation. They include:

• Women’s Empowerment Project at St. Magdalen’s Canossa School
• Arusha Resource Library
• St. Elizabeth Hospital, Ngarenaro, Arusha
• Tumaini Children’s Foundation

Each of these projects are significant undertakings—so RCAMM is working to seed new Rotary clubs across Arusha to oversee each for successful impact. What a club!

Experienced Rotarians appreciate that projects require leadership, responsibly and execution. International partnerships require an additional level of trust and commitment that can prove a challenge to coordinate. Our Alpharetta team is grateful for the friendships that we forged on this adventure--and for the opportunity to share our financial resources for an impactful purpose. The RCAMM club has demonstrated both ability and capacity—which are hallmarks of Rotary stewardship .In addition to the Alpharetta partnership, the Rotary club of Nashville, TN is currently raising funds for one of the RCAMM projects. Success attracts attention worldwide!

After five days of service, the project team went on safari through Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorngorno national parks—which was spectacular and truly a trip of a lifetime…and one that the team hopes others in our district might get to enjoy through continued partnership with the Rotary clubs of Arusha, Tanzania!