Pommern Water Project
Subtitle
In March 2008, we (Eric Noyes and Mimi Gendreau) traveled to Pommern, Tanzania for a community service trip through Global Volunteers, an NGO based in Minnesota. We fell in love with the people and the area. Since we felt such a connection with the Pommern community, we decided that we wanted to continue our partnership by supporting an important project that would make a long term difference for the students and families. We learned about the need for a new water system for the school and community. We felt that we could do much in partnership with the community by raising funds for this water system. Thus, we committed to support the Pommern Water Project by spearheading the fundraising. We raised $70,000 to build the new water system through our own donations, fundraisers, 2010 Matching Campaign and successfully writing for a grant from a foundation. The Pommern Water Project was completed and dedicated in November 2011. It now supplies water to the Pommern Secondary School, Primary School, Medical Clinic and many other people in the community.
Because of our strong friendship with the Pommern community, after the Pommern Water Project was completed, we continued to travel to Pommern and wanted to learn of other ways that we could partner with the Pommern community. We learned of a new small Tanzanian organization called Upendo Mmoja, which means "One Love" in Kiswahili. It is a small, growing community organization that is caring for about 18 children who are orphaned mostly due to HIV/AIDS. Upendo Mmoja was conceived and created by local Pommern community members with the assistance of their own university and post-secondary school graduates in Development and Business and USA supporters. Local community members serve on the Board of Directors. There is also a USA Support Team for Upendo Mmoja providing support and guidance, led by Co-Founding member and Board Chair Nicole DiDomenico. See Upendo Mmoja's Facebook page and website at www.upendommoja.org.
NOTE: Since we own this Pommern Water Project website domain, we have converted and adapted the website so we can continue using it for new projects in Pommern like Upendo Mmoja and more.