Mission Tanzania, an outreach program of Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, joins LaFond Winery, Santa Barbara Winery, Demetria Winery and Andrew Murray Vineyards for the fourth annual Wine for Water event, Saturday, May 20.

The evening of fine wines, Mediterranean hors d’oeuvres, and live music will benefit more than 200 villages in Bukoba, Tanzania, most of which have no access to clean drinking water and safe sanitation.

Wine for Water is at 6 p.m. in the Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church event center, 1205 San Antonio Road. All proceeds go toward drilling new water wells in Tanzania. Cost is $75 per person.

Villagers in Bukoba rely on local rains to collect untreated water from drainage ditches, roadside puddles and roof runoff.

This practice creates a health crisis and requires women and children to spend hours each day fetching water instead of attending to family, work or school.

Since 2009, the all-volunteer Mission Tanzania has raised funds, bought drilling equipment, trained a local team of operators, and drilled 16 wells providing clean, safe, reliable fresh water for more than 35,000 villagers.

“During our first medical mission to Tanzania, I saw a child fill her empty plastic bottle from a muddy roadside puddle. That was the moment that shocked me into action,” said Alex Haimanis, Mission Tanzania project chair.

“Our goal for 2017 is to drill 15 new wells and continue our sanitation and hygiene training of the villagers — an education program known as WaSH,” said Haimanis, who is the driving force behind Saint Barbara’s fundraising.

Contact Haimanis, 683-0595, to reserve a place, or buy tickets at CircaTerra Travel Outfitters, 3317A State St., Loreto Plaza, or online at saintbarbara.net/donate/ and select Wine For Water fund.

— Mark Gallo for CircaTerra Travel Outfitters.