Lake Victoria Flooding Relief

Tanzania

About this Fundraiser

Flooding on Lake Victoria -- Problems at Lion of Judah Academy

What happens when you add the COVID Crisis to record-breaking flooding on Lake Victoria? Answer: devastating results.

That is in fact what is happening in Tanzania, and at Lion of Judah Academy (sadly several regions of East Africa are experiencing a additional devastating threat: swarms of locusts! Those are not yet a threat in western Tanzania…though they have reached some parts of Tanzania…so Please PRAY for God's protection!).

Flooding on Lake Victoria has surpassed record breaking levels. The last flooding of this magnitude took place 60 years ago. Many countries surrounding the world’s second largest lake have experienced unprecedented levels of rain for several months, resulting in major flooding. In some areas the rains continue.

The main campus is far enough removed from the Lake (about ½ mile) there is no direct threat to the classrooms, dorms and so forth. However the flooding has had significant impact on the school, causing a LOT of damage and destruction.

SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM:

-- The school water pump was seriously damaged, shutting down the entire water system for over two weeks; the school was closed due to mandatory COVID shutdowns, but most teachers and their families had a very difficult two weeks;

-- We had to purchase a new pump – about $5,000; we rejoice that God provided a major donor to meet that need!

-- The pump house is in danger of collapse and likely cannot be saved, even if the water recedes; the pump house must be relocated and rebuilt immediately;

-- Three teacher houses are completely flooded and likely cannot be saved;

-- The school gardens – a major source of student fruit and nutrition – are completely flooded and there is no way to tell when they might be usable again;

-- The gardens of several teachers – major sources for supplemental income for our teachers – are completely flooded…with the combined results of destroying food the teachers need for themselves along with produce and livestock they depend upon for additional income (much of it they sell to the school! So the teachers will miss the income AND the school will need to seek other, more costly, sources for fruit, vegetables and livestock for food).

No one knows when the water will recede. Rains continue in many areas around the Lake. Twenty-three rivers flow into the Lake. Estimates of when the Lake will recede to normal levels range from several months to years.

Can you help us? Here is what your donation will do....

URGENTLY NEEDED:

-- We must build a new pump house right away; this will require $8 - 10,000, including the costs related to plumbing and electrical work, along with the construction of two deep sumps required for the operation of the pump;

-- We need to provide displaced teachers with temporary housing…eventually we will need to relocate and rebuild damaged and destroyed teacher houses; this requires about $300 a month, and eventually several thousand dollars to rebuild the homes;

-- We want to assist teachers as they seek to re-locate their gardens until lake levels normalize; we estimate this will cost around $3,000