Our Story
Learn more about the Tanzania Water Fund, how we got here, and our mission moving forward.
2024 - Walk for Water
On November 16, hundreds of people around the country went on a 2 mile “Walk for Water.” Walking 1 mile with an empty bucket, then 1 mile with a bucket full of water. Do you know how much a 5 gallon bucket of water weighs?
This gave us the chance to “put ourselves in someone else’s shoes.”
We are still raising money and have already reached 80% of our $100,000 goal so that we can impact 18,000 more people!
2023
Nov 18, we were back at it! The new thing this year was so much help by kids in classrooms around the country. They wanted to help too! Big shoutout to classrooms in California, Colorado, Missouri, Iowa, and Ohio!! People continue to spread the word to their friends as we raised $90,000 and have full funding for another 3 villages!!
2022
November 18-20, thousands of people in 6 continents collectively did 100,000+ pullups to raise awareness for clean water. Simultaneously, we raised $100,000 so that we can construct 4 more solar-powered water well projects. Most importantly, each village will have an 18-month community development project teaching kids the importance of clean water, farmers the benefits of irrigation and creating a water council. All said, over 20,000 more people will have access to clean water.
2021
Nov 19-21, over 1,300 people in 30+ states and 4 countries did 75,000+ pull-ups to raise awareness for clean water. Then, we raised $75,000 to secure access to clean water for three more villages, 15,000 more people!
2020
Over 3 days, Nov 19-21, just under 1,000 people did a total of 50,000 pull-ups to raise awareness for clean water. We also raised $50,000 so that we could provide two more villages access to clean water.
2019
On November 23rd, 2019, hundreds of people across the United States, from ages 2 to 82, joined together to complete 25,000 pull-ups and raise $25,000 with one goal in mind: provide clean water access to an entire village of people in rural Tanzania.
2018
It all begins with an idea. In 2018, Justin Futrell did 1,000 pull-ups in one day, to raise $25,000 for a water well project for the village of Kinyeto, Tanzania. The village has about 9,500 people and now has running water inside their medical clinic for the first time.
Find a Way
In 2019, Justin Futrell competed in the Toastmasters International Speech Contest. Out of more than 30,000 competitors, he finished in the top 28 speakers. Check out his seven minute message on how he found a way to deliver a well-building project to Kinyeto, Tanzania.
Constructing Water Projects
Each water well project in rural Tanzania costs an average of $45,000.
Tanzania Water Fund is responsible for parts and servicing, which costs on average $25,000. Parts include sustainable solar pumps and panels, a 10,000 liter water storage tank, and educational programming. Educational programming brings in the village members as key stakeholders of the project by demonstrating use and maintenance procedures. Following an introductory training, villages create a “water council” and have regular meetings to educate other local members on the importance of clean water, opportunities for irrigation, and minor maintenance issues.
The transportation and use of heavy equipment costs an additional $20,000. Tanzania Water Fund partners with two non-profit organizations, WorldServe International and The Waterboys, to fund these expenditures collaboratively. Each well-building project also allocates compensation to local engineers who remain responsible for the larger maintenance issues. By compensating for continued maintenance, our well-building projects are ensured a long-lasting impact extending decades into the future.
The Village of Kinyeto
Three non-profits joined forces to achieve Kinyeto's water project
Solar structure
Heavy equipment
Original drilling
Pump test
Double access point
Kinyeto's first irrigation attempt
Two boys in Kinyeto see running water for the first time
Happy mother
