eWATER: Civic Engagement (eWATER)

According to a report by Statista (2020) and Water.org  (2022),   16 million people equals  to 28%  of the population in Tanzania  do not have access to clean water  and forty four  (44) million equals to 73%  do not have access to improved sanitation, which poses significant health risks. In addition, only forty-five percent (45%) of the rural population has access to safe drinking water while in Uganda 38 million people equals to 83% of the population lack access to a reliable safely managed source of water. The National Environmental Policy of Tanzania (NEP) identifies pollution, loss of wildlife habitats and biodiversity, and lack of accessible, good quality water for both urban and rural inhabitants as major environmental challenges facing the country (https://www.vpo.go.tz/uploads/publications/en-1665473411 NATIONAL%20%20ENVIRONMENTAL%20POLICY%202021.pdf).

Poor management practices have led to the deterioration of aquatic systems, and the productivity of lake, river, coastal, and marine waters is threatened. Human activities in both towns and the countryside have affected the health of many surface water bodies and lowered the productivity of the environment in general. Tanzania is experiencing water stress, and with high population growth and development, the country is at risk of water scarcity in the coming decades. The observed trends in technological advancement, economic forces, population dynamics, and climate change in the country are likely to introduce more significant and long-lasting environmental stressors that impact both the quality and quantity of freshwaters. Low funding is a crucial problem for the water sector and key institutions, which impedes the development and implementation of basin management plans, and monitoring and management of agricultural runoff, industrial effluent, and municipal wastewater. Finally, groundwater quality monitoring systems also need to be strengthened to protect the public from utilizing contaminated water sources.

The primary component of eWATER is education to convey the importance of citizen participation in the development of equitable water policy, strategic master plan, economic development, and start-ups. The solution team will tap into the human resources at MU. For instance, it will be possible to meet and/or exceed its performance goals through education, research & development, training, and consultancy services to preserve, transmit, disseminate, and enhance knowledge generally and particularly, in the fields of Policy, Business, FinTech, Economics, and Allied or Complementary Learning, to meet and/or exceed its performance goals. The solution team will collect data, i.e., cleaned, coded, and entered, using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) software for analysis and report. The mission-based component of eWATER: Civic Engagement includes creation of scalable economic opportunities for local citizens, which are aligned with thriving and biodiverse ecosystem, to maintain access to clean, drinkable, safe water bodies, and mitigate “Water Thump-print”. The solution team is positioning eWATER: Civic Engagement, over a three-year period, to leverage $262,894,896 based on nine percent (9%) acquisition share of the billions of dollars in revenue earnings ($2,921,054,400.00) that the 4,868,424 million hectares of wetlands will generate, through the supply of water to significant numbers of unprivileged citizens in semi-urban and rural areas. Tanzania has remarkable water resources, by comparison to its semiarid neighbors. It sits on Africa’s three largest lakes: Lake Tanganyika, Lake Nyasa, and Lake Victoria, and has high rainfall. Approximately ten percent of Tanzania’s landmass is covered by freshwater. A little over ten percent (10%) of surface water is abstracted, and eighty five percent (85%) of water resources have good ambient quality. The water abstracted is distributed to agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (90%); services such as potable water (9%); and industry (1%). The data essentially show nearly 4,868,424 million hectares of wetlands stand to  generate billions of dollars in revenue earnings (https://furtherafrica.com/2019/08/14/how-tanzania-stands-to-make-billions-through-water/). The solution team expects to facilitate citizen involvement in community-based participatory research (CBPR); modeling and/or mapping of Challenge, using Vensim, ArcGIS, ESRI, and/or Google Maps (to monitor water, remote sensing, geospatial mapping of water bodies, water as national security interest, and sustainable development practices); and launch of eWATER: Civic Engagement for adaption to climate change.

The solution will serve  16 million   equals  to 28%  of the population in Tanzania  who do not have access to safe drinking water and forty four  (44) million people equals to 73%  who do not have access to improved sanitation, while in Uganda the solution will serve  38 million people equals to 83% of the population who do not have access  to a reliable safely managed source of water (water.org 2022). The solution will increase their access to safe drinking water through civic engagement

The academic staff at Mzumbe University (MU) is ranked among the highest. Thirty-two percent (32%) have Ph.D. qualifications and/or are pursuing Ph.D. qualifications, and forty-two percent (42%) have master’s degrees while the remaining are pursuing master’s degrees. The lecturer student ratio is approximately 1:16 (https://site.mzumbe.ac.tz/images/PROSPECTUS%202022-23%20Approved%20by%20the%20Council%20Chair.pdf). The prominent areas of competence at MU are Economics, Human Resource Management, Public Administration, Strategic Management, Finance, Mathematics and Statistics, Information Technology, Business Administration, Accountancy, Law, Health Systems Management, Education and Governance. Our solution team is well-positioned to deliver eWATER: Civic Engagement as we bring together diverse perspectives and experiences from different cultural backgrounds and communities across Tanzania, Uganda, and United States (US). Our interdisciplinary team includes experts in Public Management, Urban Planning, Eonomic Development, Arts and Humanities, FinTech, and Learning Organization, who are committed to launching the eWATER Civic Engagement. We are also deeply rooted in the local communities we serve, which allows us to better understand their needs and tailor our approach to ensure maximum impact and engagement. The team composition is as follows:

1. Eliza Faty, Ph.D., Professor, Mzumbe University, Chief Strategist,
2. Wilfred Lameck, Ph.D., Professor, Mzumbe University, Co-Investigator
3. Benon C. Basheka, Ph.D., Professor, Kabale University, Co-Investigator
4. Faraja Cosmas, MPA, Student, Mzumbe University, Research Assistant,
5. Cliford Ringo, Ph.D., Professor, Mzumbe University, Advisor,
6. Denis Kamugisha, Ph.D., Professor, Mzumbe Univeristy, Advisor,
7. Venance Shillingi, Ph.D., Professor, Mzumbe University, Advisor,
8. Charles Kaijage, Software Engineer,
9. Gabriela Lasmar Sampaio Silva, En-Roads Ambassador, and
10. Dumas F. Lafontant, ML, Playwright, Agarigani, Fiscal Officer.

The MIT Solve is one of the most prestigious funding sources that is dedicated to support solvers worldwide in their quest to eliminate social issues that impede human development. Evidently, affiliation with MIT Solve can be a plus since it is recognized for the competitive edge that it offers the solvers it funds. The solution team welcomes the opportunity to submit the eWATER project to MIT Solve’s rigorous process of determining eligibility for funding. The solution team is confident that eWATER meets and/or exceeds the financial expectations for funding that MIT Solve has established for solutions competing to leverage capital intended to solve global social issues. In the final analysis, the solution team seeks to make a significant impact in the East African Community by promoting civic engagement to effectively address the water scarcity problem in the region and ensuring a sustainable future for the inhabitants of the region. The financial support will be vital in enabling the solution team to implement the project effectively and engage with the maximum number of citizens.Top of Form Surely, if it is funded, eWATER will highlight MIT Solve in all its literature, materials, campaign, event, and so on.