Stories from the Field
As we work to provide water, we're committed to helping people like you meet your global neighbors and to realize that we all share the same basic needs. We hope to break down stereotypes and the false distinctions between the so-called winners and losers, rich and poor, the needy and charitable, by introducing you to the people we serve with the respect and admiration they rightfully deserve.
These are stories of hope, told in the words of those who carry out this work every day - our friends in the field.
A Year Later: A Thriving Self-Help Group!
Before we rehabilitated the well in Byerima Kyakabasarah, getting water for the 900 people who lived here was a constant struggle. 13-year-old Flavia shared how difficult life was for her last year. "This borehole would over-break, and we had to walk over two kilometers away to collect water from Byerima Primary School, where we would meet with ot...
A Year Later: "Thank you, thank you for this great gift."
Last year, the dug well in Lungi Lol was open to contamination and did not provide sufficient water, wasting people's valuable time. "Most times, this water point was overcrowded because the water could not serve the entire community. This caused me sometimes to be late going to school on time. The water was not even pure to drink," said 18-year-o...
A Year Later: "No more struggle for safe and pure drinking water"
The community members in Tombo Lol used to face a daily water crisis. The waterpoint in their community was not operational, so they had to rely on water from the local swamp. But this water cost them time and health, leaving them unable to fulfill their duties and ill with water-related illnesses. "Before, it was difficult to fetch water unless I...
A Year Later: "No longer prone to water-related ailments"
The students at Munanga Primary School used to waste much of their day's time and energy collecting water instead of learning. "It was very tiresome for me carrying water and books in the morning," said 14-year-old Shazine N. "Much of [the] time meant for studies was going to waste since we had to move outside the school compound looking for water...
A Year Later: Water Solved a School-Community Conflict!
Mali Mali Primary School did not have its own water source last year, so students spent much of their learning time doing the exhausting task of searching for, collecting, and carrying water just to meet their basic needs. It was exhausting and frustrating for them. "We would cover a long distance in search of water," said 15-year-old Samson A. "W...