MSABI is a
non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...
founded by Dale Young in 2009 in
Ifakara
Ifakara is a small rural town in the Kilombero District, Morogoro Region, south central Tanzania. It is the headquarters of the Kilombero District administration and the main trading centre for Kilombero and Ulanga districts. The town is located ...
,
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
.
Its projects focus on water sanitation, hygiene, and education.
Name and history
Engineer Dale Young moved to Tanzania in 2007 with his partner who was conducting
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
research.
He founded MSABI in 2009 after witnessing a cholera outbreak that resulted from unclean drinking water.
The name stands for Maji Safi kwa Afya Bora Ifakara, which translates to "Safe Water for Better Health Ifakara."
MSABI's projects focus on installing water pumps, distributing filter pots, building latrines, and educating people on sanitation and hygiene.
The aim is to combat
diarrhoea
Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin wi ...
,
cholera,
typhoid
Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several d ...
, and
trachoma
Trachoma is an infectious disease caused by bacterium '' Chlamydia trachomatis''. The infection causes a roughening of the inner surface of the eyelids. This roughening can lead to pain in the eyes, breakdown of the outer surface or cornea of ...
, which all may be caused from poor quality drinking water.
MSABI partners with
Engineers Without Borders (UK)
Engineers Without Borders UK is a UK-based registered charity and NGO.
Formed in recognition of the fact that engineering is vital to successfully addressing complex challenges such as the effects of climate change, resource constraints, incre ...
for surveying, drilling, manufacturing, and capacity building projects. EWB UK also provides international training courses at MSABI.
MSABI has provided more than 60 water points and more than 1,400 filters which together serve more than 17,000 users.
Ceramic water filters
MSABI produces and distributes
ceramic water filters, which are branded Tembo filter pots. The filters cost the equivalent of $18 USD. They are manufactured by the Upendo Women's Group in collaboration with MSABI. MSABI currently has a production capacity of 3,600 filter pots per year. These filters help remove
iron
Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundanc ...
and
manganese
Manganese is a chemical element with the symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of industrial alloy use ...
known to be found in water in the area.
References
{{reflist
External links
MSABI webpage
2009 establishments in Tanzania
Organisations based in Tanzania
Water supply and sanitation in Tanzania