In 2009, the St. Andrew’s school community embarked on a special project to give the gift of clean water to those who need it most. Inspired in part by their track coach, Gilbert Tuhabonye, St. Andrews students, and their families raised money for a Gazelle Foundation water system.
St. Andrews School emphasizes diversity and inclusion as one of its core values, believing diversity to be a vital element of community and education. This core value aligns well with the Gazelle Foundation – a value that is particularly important given Burundi’s tragic history of civil war and ethnically-based violence. All of our water systems are designed to provide equal access to all members of the communities they serve, regardless of race, ethnicity, or religion. We believe that access to clean water is foundational to building a healthy community and that healthy communities are the first line of defense against extremism and violence.
A Community With Clean Water
Construction started on the Songa-Nyamwango water system, funded by the St. Andrew’s school community, in the summer of 2010. The beneficiaries were the Pygmy, a traditionally marginalized ethnic group. This sends a clear message that Gazelle Foundation water systems are not influenced by the Hutu-Tutsi conflict or any other kinds of systemic discrimination. Clean water is for all — this is a cornerstone of the Gazelle Foundation’s mission. People should be able to gather around a tap stand and get clean, life-giving water no matter their tribe or religion. For this project, the Gazelle Foundation project team laid 1.5 kilometers of hand-trenched PVC piping, transporting clean water to 6 tap stands throughout the community.
Ten years on, the project still provides clean water to this thriving community of 970 people and has altered the trajectory of their lives. They experience virtually no illness from waterborne diseases, increased school attendance, and are now able to build for their future. The support and investment of St. Andrew’s school has created a clean water legacy that has radically changed life for the better every single day for this community of nearly 1,000 people.
A Long-Term Legacy
On behalf of the communities we serve, we are so grateful for our St. Andrew’s families and all the donors who change lives permanently by giving the gift of clean water.
You can create your own clean-water legacy. Imagine the impact 10 years down the road that you could begin with a donation today. It takes only $30 to provide one person with clean water for life, and only $500 to provide water to an entire school classroom. You can give the gift of clean water, and clean water changes everything.
Beneficiaries of the Songa-Nyamwango water system.