Members of the Rotary Club of Mirfield are preparing for a trip to Tanzania to help families living on an isolated island. They aim to provide tools to local tradesmen and are appealing to their local community to root through their garages and sheds for any unwanted tools which they can donate. The tools will then be shipped over when the 18 Rotarians travel to the island of Ukerewe in November.
Ukerewe is the largest inhabited island in Lake Victoria, three and a half hours by ferry from the mainland town of Mwanza. Its 350,000 inhabitants have limited contact with the mainland and average income is less than £1 a day, mostly from farming and fishing.
Organiser, Dr John Philip said: “We are appealing to people to check their garages, store cupboards and tool boxes for any unwanted or unused tools and donate them to this very good cause. We will appreciate any tools as long as they are in good condition, because they will make such a difference to the people in Ukerewe. We are especially keen to collect any building tools, stepladders, trowels, tile cutters and shovels – in fact almost anything – as by giving people the tools they need, we are helping them to help themselves.”
The Rotary Club of Mirfield originally visited Ukerewe three years ago to see how they could help improve health care, literacy, water supply, sanitation and other aspects of life for the islanders. Since then, they have set up a small credit programme which is helping 18 families, refurbished the local hospital operating theatre, provided a waiting hostel for pregnant women, supplied educational materials to schools, improved the water supply and built a children’s playground.
Dr Philip added: “The aim of the trip in November is to work alongside local people to help boost the local economy. We hope to achieve this by giving farmers, carpenters, plumbers and electricians the tools they need to undertake routine work more efficiently than they are able to do now.”
Anyone who wishes to donate tools to this project should contact the Rotary Club of Mirfield.
