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: Everyone Looks Smart and Neat!
"We used to fetch water in [a] hole," said 11-year-old Vincent M. "When it rained, we were forced to [fetch water] the following day when it was settled and clear. The water from uplands could get in and contaminate it." As Vincent said, collecting water in Lunyinya a year ago was both time-consuming and unrewarding, as the water community members...
A Year Later: "Fetching water is easy!"
Before Henry Shisoko Spring was protected last year, community members were often sick because of the dirty and contaminated water they collected. "It was not good because the water was dirty and was filled with moss and insects and leaves and mud. We had to wait or sieve the water," said 13-year-old Collins O. But now, after a year of access to ...
A Year Later: A Story Still in the Making
A year ago, Ivumbu's people worked together to build a sand dam and shallow well system. Since then, life has changed. "Before the construction of this project, life was very hard," said 18-year-old Benjamin M. "We got water from a scoop hole which is in [the] River Ivumbu but very far from our place. We could walk around 1.5 kilometers getting it...
A Year Later: Spring Improves Hygiene and Unites Community!
Before we protected Laban Ang'ata Spring last year, the people of Shamoni were wasting time in line waiting for others to scoop water and suffering from numerous waterborne diseases. "It was not easy to draw water from the spring," said 12-year-old Hilda. "I could take [a lot of] time at the spring because old people would not allow the children t...
A Year Later: "It's a breeze!"
Before we protected the spring in Makunga Community, fetching water was an arduous task. And the water people tried to scoop up so carefully, and which they waited in lines to collect, still made everyone sick. "We used to scoop water, and it had dirt and insects inside of it," said eight-year-old Agnes. "We also had to take turns to wait for the ...