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: "I have enough time for my studies."
The students at Namushiya Primary School used to waste much of their time searching for and collecting water instead of learning. And sadly, they missed even more class time since they were often sick with water-related illnesses as a result of consuming the water they worked so hard to collect. "[The] time [I] used to look for water was a lot, so...
A Year Later: No longer walking far for water.
Life for students at Muting'ong'o Primary School was difficult in the past. They spent too much time away from their school campus, missing valuable learning time searching for and collecting water. It left them exhausted and behind academically. "I used to waste so much time going to fetch water for [the] school. I didn’t have enough time to re...
A Year Later: "Huge, huge impact."
Last year when we first visited Ebumbayi Primary School, the students spent much of their time collecting water outside the school campus. They either hauled water from home, which left them tired before the school day even began, or they went to the local stream during class time when they should have been learning. And if that were not bad enough...
A Year Later: The Confidence of Clean Water
Before we protected the spring in Makhwabuye, people had to painstakingly scoop water from an open water source. The water was open to contamination, which made community members sick, and fetching the water took up too much of their precious time. "The water was being fetched using [a] jug," said 12-year-old Leah. "We could at times wash our feet...
A Year Later: Better Grades and Better Hygiene!
Before we protected the spring in Tombo B, people drank contaminated water every day, and spent a long time collecting it. "Before the spring was constructed, fetching water was so challenging because [the adults] used to tell us to wait for them to fetch water first," said 13-year-old Musa. "I used to waste a lot of time at the water point rather...