A CHARITY set up by a Wilsden man has reached a milestone as the projects' 100th well has been built in Tanzania

Ray Rowan, 73, started the Poverty Relief Foundation (PRF) more than 20 years ago which he now runs with two friends.

It raises money to build much-needed wells and water tanks in remote villages in the country's north western Kagera region and began building wells there in 2005.

Initially the charity was building five wells a year, but gained momentum and hit 96 by the end of 2013.

“This year, I’m very happy to say, we have passed the 100 mark," said founder Mr Rowan, of Wilsden Hill, Wilsden.

"When we started constructing the wells nine years ago, I never imagined we would reach even 50, so to get to 100 wells is beyond all expectations.

"The wells we build provide these communities with access to clean, safe water, and one of the major benefits of that is the reduction of water-borne diseases such as malaria, diarrhoea and bilharzia.

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"Apart from saving lives, the children have fewer trips to the hospital, which means they can spend more time in school, and less sick days for the adults means they’re able to spend more time cultivating their land, growing crops.

"We want people to have a better life, and the most important thing in life is water. Water is life."

The charity guarantees that 100 per cent of the donations it receives goes towards the projects it runs and not expenses.

The wells are dug by hand by local people, who then appoint a committee to make sure they are maintained and cleaned.

Each well, costing an average of £2,100, is used by up to 500 families.

When the charity was set-up it started providing rainwater tanks, but has switched to mainly building wells in the last decade.

PRF also pays for new classrooms and has a loans scheme where women can borrow money and rather than repay it to the charity, pay it to someone else in the village who, in turn, passes it to someone else.

Mr Rowan, a father-of-two and grandfather-of-three, said: "On behalf of the people of Tanzania who’ve benefited from these projects, we thank all the people and companies that have kindly donated over the years.

"These donations have directly benefited some of the poorest communities in the world and bring great joy and happiness to many families."

Visit www.prf.org.uk tosupport the charity's work.