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: Time Management Easier!
Life at St. Benedict Emutetemo Primary School used to be difficult without sufficient water. "During break time, I used to feel hungry and could drink any water that I came across. This often resulted in infections such as stomachaches and diarrhea. It was quite tiresome getting water from the spring because it's far away," said Isaac O. But thin...
A Year Later: Better Health and Improved Relationships!
Before we protected Reuben Endeche Spring last year, procuring water was an everyday struggle for Brian. His family had a hand-dug well that failed to yield water for most of the year, so he was left dunking jerrycans at the unprotected spring, collecting nearly as much dirt as water. "Getting water was not that easy for me, despite the fact that ...
A Year Later: "I can testify that, really, life has changed."
Before we drilled a new borehole well at Kamuchisu Primary School last year, students carried water with them to school from whatever source was easiest. This questionable water infected students and staff with debilitating illnesses. And even with a full jerrycan from each student, the water was never enough to serve all the school's needs. "Duri...
A Year Later: "We no longer fear sending our children to fetch water."
"Before the protection of spring, we had to queue because the community members had just improvised a pipe to help them draw water, but a lot of water [was] diverted, leading to low discharge and overcrowding at the spring," said 79-year-old farmer Charles Oponyo. But now, the construction at Obuya Spring captures all that once-diverted water, fil...
A Year Later: "I now love my school."
"[The] accessibility of water was a challenge in our school," said 11-year-old student Susan C. "This forced us [to] go out of the school compound to fetch water for use." Susan continued: "At the water point, we were forced to queue so as to access water, and this was indeed tiresome for me. In the morning hours, students would carry water from h...