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: Building Made Easy!
Last year, Mother Teresa's Pre-Primary School had to share one seasonal well with the primary school next door. The well would dry out periodically, leaving both schools without a source of water. When this happened, the students would have to bring water from home, which would be difficult for such small children. "Before, we were struggling to g...
A Year Later: "It has helped me to achieve."
Before we rehabilitated the well in Masoila, the community had survived 18 years without a reliable water source. The three open wells in the community provided water of questionable quality that often made people sick. "Before, the distance to the water sources [was] so far, and the water not pure," said 30-year-old trader Isatu Bangura. "[The] m...
A Year Later: "I can help my community."
Before we installed a sand dam and shallow well in Nzimba last year, community members had to walk ludicrous distances to reach the nearest water source. “In the past, I had to walk about ten kilometers to acquire water from the nearest water point, because we are required to carry water to school each morning," said 16-year-old Katiwa C. "This ...
A Year Later: Boosting Family's Diet!
Last year, community members of Nzimba used to walk extremely far distances to find water. “Before the construction of this sand dam project, I used to walk for long distances (about ten kilometers) to [the] Kamunyu River in order to fetch water for use," said 70-year-old farmer Kimelu Mutui. "[The] Kamunyu River is also seasonal with an inadeq...
A Year Later: Feeling Good!
Before we protected Nanjendo Spring in Imbinga Community, people would have to scoop up water from the spring cup by cup, often stirring up sediment and muck as they did. Fetching water took a long time, and the end product was often full of particles. All of this culminated in frequent outbreaks of waterborne diseases and a lack of time and energ...