UniWater Education Limited

We are pleased to announce that Mzuzu University in Malawi is our latest university in Africa to host a hydrogeology programme.  Their plan is to offer a new BSc in Hydrogeology, with the specialization classes constituting the upper two years in a four year degree.  This plan works in well with their current programmes, including an MSc and PhD programmes in Water Resources Management, bringing the importance of groundwater into the management of total water resources in Malawi.  Classes are expected to begin in 2022.

We are pleased to announce that the University of Zimbabwe in Harare has been selected to host a National Center for Groundwater Research and Training. As an integral part of this facility, they will be offering an MSc in Hydrogeology and Water Resources Management using the UniWater curriculum. Classes are expected to begin in August 2022.

SUA has begun its second cohort of students in their MSc program in Hydrogeology and Water Resources Management.  The first cohort of 4 students is continuing with their thesis projects, while the second cohort is comprised of 7 students.  The Field School has been initiated but needs equipment to fully operate.  In the meantime, students are introduced to field methods by observing drilling and pumping tests at industrial sites nearby.

We’ve just signed a new agreement to assist the University of LIvingstonia, a private university in southern Malawi. They wish to initiate a groundwater-based undergraduate program that would feed into their MSc in Global Sanitation program, which may include adding geology to their curriculum. We are very excited at this prospect!

Malawi has a population of 18 million people, where 90% of them rely on groundwater for their potable water supply. Yet no universities offer hydrogeology specialty programs. This is about to change! We are currently working to sign agreements with 4 to 5 universities, to work collaboratively for them to offer MSc or BSc programs, complete with field school in the future. This is what we were meant to do.

A colleague in Tanzania has a hydrogeology degree yet lacks the practical skills that keep him from fully participating in helping other hydrogeology students at Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania. He applied to a month-long field skills training program that Groundwater Relief is presenting in Uganda, and was granted a scholarship worth half of the tuition, based on the strength of his career goals and what he has achieved already. We are collecting additional funds in support of his tuition, the goal being $C3,400. As of the date of publication, we are halfway to achieving this goal. If you feel inclined to donate to this worthwhile cause, please use the ATB Cares button!

In support of Tanzania’s Sokoine University of Agriculture’s new MSc program in Hydrogeology and Water Resources Management, UniWater is raising funds for supply of a submercible pump and electrical connection to enable them to provide hands-on training for their students. Our goal is $15,000 (Can). Please donate as little/as much as you can using the ATB Cares button. All donations will be provided with a tax receipt.

It is heart-warming to see the response of 10 professors to help teach the MSc program in Hydrogeology and Water Resources Management at the University of Zimbabwe. These professors are active in their careers, and hail from Canada, USA, UK, Cameroon, India, Egypt and South Africa. Thank you to all!

It is with great pleasure that we received a generous donation from Solinst Canada Ltd for groundwater monitoring equipment for our partnering university Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania. SUA has plans for their first field school in May and are very excited to be able to have these state-of-the-art instruments with which to teach their students. Thanks very much Solinst!

UniWater and The Groundwater Project are now joined at the hip! Laurra Olmsted, our Executive Director, has been appointed as the Team Lead for Africa Education at the GW-Project. In this manner, Laurra is able to feed ideas into GW-Project on how to best tailor the on-line hydrogeological resources to applications for use in African universities. Please see www.GW-Project.org for more information on the free resources available globally.