Jennifer Kern
Staff Writer

Being a tourist is not one of Keith Olsonís goals in life.

The Forest Lake resident doesnít mind traveling, but sightseeing has never been a priority of his.

But in 2001, Olsonís wife, Lilly, convinced him to travel to Tanzania on vacation.

ìFinally, she talked me into going over there,î he said.

Olson recalled he quickly got bored with watching the scenery and it was during that trip that he noticed a more distressing situation; the local water supply.

ì(The townspeople) were literally dipping water out of ruts in the road and they were drinking it,î Olson described, ìWe noticed how bad the water situation was for everyone over there.î

A time for change

A retired electrical engineer, his initial experience in Tanzania drove Olson to make a difference in the south-central region he had visited, Iringa.

Along with members of their church, Faith Lutheran, and other Twin Cities congregations, the Olsons have traveled to Tanzania multiple times since 2001. The group has crafted an improved water system for the people of Iringa and the project continues to grow.

Spending months at a time in Africa, Keith, Lilly and dozens of other Twin Cities residents work towards installing water pumps in the communities and educating Tanzanians on the process.

After completing the first trip, fundraising began to purchase a drilling rig to create water wells. In 2003, they traveled to the region to show Tanzanians to drill wells and install pumps. It was during that trip that over 4000 residents were educated on hygienic practices.

ìMy wife and a couple other ladies taught hygiene and sanitation,î explained Olson.

In 2004, Keith was in Tanzania three different times continuing work on the project. The main goals of the groupís effort have been drilling wells and setting pumps, repairing existing pumps, continuing education to the locals and developing water systems.

His most recent trip included other projects as well. Having returned from Tanzania this summer, Olson spent parts of April and June, and all of May in the country.

ìOne of the most exciting things we did is we installed a generator system at a clinic,î he said.

According to Olson, the clinic did not have adequate lighting at night. A few days after the generator was installed, a pregnant woman having a difficult labor entered the clinic and the new generator provided the ability for proper care.

Without it, the doctor thought she would have likely died, he recalled.

Friendly people

Olson describes Tanzanians have been very receptive to the water supply project. Noting they are generally mellow in nature and family and friend-oriented, Olson has only kind words regarding the residents of Iringa.

ìThe Tanzanians are such nice people,î he said.

Olson is hoping through education and continued trips to the region that Tanzanians should be able to self-maintain the improved water systems within five to seven years.

ìEducation is important,î he mentioned. Along with teaching how to operate the systems, business management and inventory control are also lessons discussed.

Another goal of the group is using time spent in Africa for missionary work. Olson said through getting to know and visiting with Tanzanians they are ìable to spread the Christian word.î

Thousands spent; thousands helped

In total, over 50 wells have been drilled through the improvement process. Olson estimates that over 10,000 Tanzanians have been affected by the work that he and others initiated over the years.

The project has been so successful, in fact, that other groups from across the United States have contacted them to start projects of their own.

ìNow when we go over there, there are people calling for more information,î said Olson.

The cost to install a well is approximately $2,000. The funds to develop the project have come from a variety of sources.

ìMost of the money we get is through churches, rotaries and individuals from the United States,î described Olson.

He said to go to Tanzania though, the cost is purely the responsibility of the traveler. Regardless, Olson is already planning another trip for later this year.

ìYou could almost call it a full-time job,î he noted.

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