New Blue Community in Tanzania

Alpha Ntayomba, Executive Director of PDI in a claim your water rights campaign’s session among mining communities in Nyarugusu ward, Geita district, Tanzania.

Population and Development Initiative PDI joins the network.

Water is one of the important resources in socioeconomic development which touches all aspects of human life. Availability of adequate clean, safe and affordable water including sanitation services has impact on the standard of living of people as well as enhancing productivity for sustainable development in Tanzania.

We are aware of various WASH research projects conducted among challenging contexts (such as mining areas); that there is remarkable progress witnessed as a result of government’s and development partners’ efforts in improving water and sanitation services. These efforts include extension of water infrastructure and improving legal and policy frameworks in efforts to increase service delivery and protection of water sources in a decentralised and participatory manner. However, various findings indicate that many areas in challenging contexts still lack basic water and sanitation services; affecting the well-being and health of communities.

Poor access to water is a result of many reasons such as limited access to WASH data, funding, capacities of service providers and limited water governance especially among under-served populations. Furthermore, there is a need of improving community monitoring of funds provided through corporate social responsibility (CSR) schemes by various companies for WASH and other community projects.

Other challenges include lack of decent toilets, lack of community-led behavioral change and communication (BCC) programs in enhancing shift to wide use of toilets by miners, fishers and other community members. Additionally, most mining communities in Geita region are located near or in vulnerable environments surrounded by gold processing sites which use poisonous chemicals such as mercury in mineral processing activities. This situation needs collective actions by the government, development partners, CSOs and agents of change in keeping communities and environments safe from harmful mining operations.

The ‹Population and Development Initiative› PDI was established 2020 and registered 2021 as a national NGO; operating in Kigoma, Geita and Morogoro regions in Tanzania.

PDI works in thematic areas of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Environmental Education, Health and Nutrition, Human Rights and Good Governance and Economic Empowerment.

One of the four objectives of PDI is to advocate for equitable water, sanitation and hygiene at local and national level.

PDI worked in a collaborative project on Social Accountability Monitoring for improved water and sanitation services, climate change adaptation and human rights among mining communities in Geita district (Tanzania) has a lot to share especially engaging community agents of change in addressing water and sanitation in their villages through holding duty bearers and mining companies accountable of improving WASH situation at mine site level and among surrounding communities in mining areas.

PDI is working with other local CSOs in Tanzania to digitally map the status and navigation to better water and sanitation services, water quality and local employment among adjacent communities. We have enrolled 36 small and mid-mining sites under community radar and advocacy to influence them adopt the responsible mining practices in Geita district, Tanzania.

PDI works with 15 agents of change in three wards of Nyarugusu, Lwamgasa and Mgusu wards in Geita district in addressing contamination among water sources adjacent to gold mining and processing sites in Geita district through awareness creation, capacity building and improving monitoring/surveillance and reporting of water sources management at community level.

Since 2023, PDI is an active member of the European Partnership for Responsible Minerals (EPRM) contributing experiences in responsible mining issues such as advocating for water quality and environmental protection in mining areas.

PDI works with various organizations such as Break Free From Plastics (BFFP) and other youth groups and local CSOs in Kigoma region in beach clean-ups among rivers and shores of Lake Tanganyika. PDI also conduct brand audits to identify major plastic producers and their products which pollute terrestrial and aquatic environments; and engage them in collective actions for curbing plastic pollution in the country.

Alpha Ntayomba, Executive Director of PDI, states on becoming a Blue Community:
«Population and Development Initiative (PDI) was created by a group of agents of change in Kigoma region (Tanzania) with experiences of socioeconomic, environmental and human rights impact of limited water and sanitation services especially in challenging contexts such as mining areas. Through research and associated advocacy efforts and collection of citizens’ voices, we deeply understand that water and sanitation services are part and parcel of sustainable development and human rights agenda in Tanzania and beyond.
In the light of this, we hope that by becoming part of the Blue Community, we will learn from others, share experiences, influence collective actions and the spirit of serving as agents of change in efforts to advance the agenda of human rights to water and sanitation at local, national and international context.»

Blue Community co-founder Maude Barlow welcomes the new affiliate:
«The Population & Development Initiative PDI is working on water and sanitation in Tanzania for 5 years, and it brings in a strong experience working with change agents especially in the field of access to water and sanitation in mining, an issue so important not only for Tanzania, but for many countries in Africa. We welcome PDI among the Blue Communities and look forward to our cooperation on national and international levels. The Blue Community in Africa is growing fast, and PDI will be an important cornerstone of the Blue Community.»

To learn more about PDI Tanzania: