Safe drinking water will soon be a reality in a rural, mountain village in Mufindi, Tanzania, thanks to a medical mission trip departing from Louisville on Wednesday, July 9^th and returning on Wednesday, July 23^rd. Thirteen University of Louisville 2^nd-year medical students will spend two weeks delivering basic medical and dental care to the local population, while WaterStep ambassadors work to install water treatment facilities so that the entire village will have improved water quality and improved health.

The teams providing aid will be led by Dr. William (Bill) Smock, Medical Director for WaterStep and Louisville Metro Police Department Physician, and WaterStep Ambassador/dentist Joe Jacobi. The team will set up M-100 chlorinators in the Igoda Children’s Village, a cluster of group homes for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS, in order to provide safe water for the orphans and the residents in the village. WaterStep’s M-100 water purifiers are small enough to fit in a carry on suitcase, but effective enough to provide safe water for thousands of people every day.

The teams will use a medical clinic provided by Foxes’ NGO, a charitable organization in Tanzania working to provide shelter, sustenance, education, and medical care for orphans, curtailing the spread of HIV-AIDs, teaching life skills, and creating hope and opportunities for future generations.

The project was also supported by Supplies Over Seas (SOS) which provided 300 lbs. of surplus medical supplies and equipment for the trip.