Our next meeting of the Bill Kellogg UNA-BC Discussion Series will be held on December 9th, 2026, 1:30-3:00 PM in the Boulder Creek Room of the Main Branch of the Boulder Public Library.
Our discussion, “Scaling WASH Solutions Across Communities”, will be led by Bruce Pelz, co-founder of Maji Safi Group. Bruce Pelz grew up in Boulder and earned a B.A. with honors in Environmental Studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder. His honors thesis surveyed students at five Tanzanian and two American schools on children’s environmental views. He first came to Tanzania through a World Learning study abroad program.
Bruce co-founded Maji Safi Group (“Clean Water Group” in Swahili) in 2012. Its mission is to prevent waterborne diseases through community-led water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) education in the Mara Region of Tanzania. Bruce lived in Tanzania full-time from 2012 to 2015 and now divides his time between Tanzania and Colorado as U.S. President of the organization.
Maji Safi Group’s model is based on holistic, participatory development centered on locally hired Community Health Educators. Today, Maji Safi Group reaches schools, health care facilities, and communities across the Mara Region, working hand in hand with Tanzanian government partners. Through its comprehensive programming, MSG addresses multiple Social Development Goals.
Bruce’s presentation and discussion will emphasize the following themes:
Participatory Development in Maji Safi Group’s Programming.
Collaborating with the key public and private stakeholders to amplify impact.
Emphasizing the importance of digital monitoring and evaluation and aligning integrated data into national and international frameworks.
Using the nexus of Agriculture, Nutrition, and WASH (ANWA) as the key to improved personal and public health.
I hope you will be able to attend this important and timely discussion. Please feel free to invite other members of the community who might be interested in this topic. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Robert McNown at mcnownr@gmail.com.
