Greetings and jambo! Thank you for reading our Q2 newsletter and blog! We've had a busy year working on the Kisimani School Water Project and hope you enjoy this short video! The school has over nine hundred students and only had one water spigot for all their daily water needs. KiliTech funded the project, which includes building a complete water distribution system at the school (thank you, Jandu Plumbing!) with thirty-two hand-washing stations and four filtered drinking water stations, water ran to the kitchen, two 5,000 liter water tanks, grey water distribution, and a thirty foot water tower. It took us about six months from start to finish, with monsoon rains creating mud parking lots from March until June, but we waited for the sun to come out and indeed it did shine! Total cost of the project was $18,482 and is 100% accomplished through your donations, completed July 11, 2018!
Our next project that is in the pipeline is working with a super-power international NGO (to be announced when I have their permission) to deliver over 1,800 inflatable solar lights to the Burundian refugee camps located in Tanzania on the Burundi border. The lights will be used in tented classrooms and social service centers, as there is no power and very limited generator power which is mainly utilized by health services. As of May 31, 2018 (UNHCR), there are 306,392 Burundian refugees living in these camps. This will be our biggest and most challenging project to date due
to the complexity of the situation and the crisis that is ongoing with no end in sight. KiliTech will certainly learn a lot during this project, as we have been asked to manage the delivery, operations, and follow-up, which is a huge compliment! The project is aptly named "Lighting the Way."
My friends who were so kind and generous in donating $2,000 to the Facebook ad campaign, "Laurel's Birthday Fund," please know and be proud that your donation will be used to deliver school supplies to these kids living in the refugee camps! THANK YOU!! Anyone interested in getting involved email laurel@kilitech.org. Thank you for your continued support, love, and friendship! Stay tuned for more updates as this exciting new project develops and we continue to strengthen and deepen our meaningful work in Tanzania! Please remember to watch the Kisimani School video!
Baadaye (Swahili for, "See you later!")
Asante sana!
Laurel RIP Anthony Bourdain, June 8, 2018