“Meaford? Never heard of it.” If you live in this part of the world, you may have heard that reaction to the name of our town. But the people of Ukerewe, Tanzania know us because The Rotary Club of Meaford is helping to bring them clean water.
Ukerewe Island (Kisiwa cha Ukerewe, in Swahili) is a freshwater island located in Lake Victoria. With an area of 530 square km (200 square miles), it is the largest island in Lake Victoria, the largest lake island in Africa and the fifth largest island lake in the world. About a fifth the size of Manitoulin Island, it has a population of 450,000. Residents of the island are poor, with most existing on incomes of less than $250 per month.
