A Year Later: "I am happy with the water I am fetching."

Before Aloice Chiedo Spring was protected, community members had to balance on stones laid in the spring to fetch water. Sometimes community members would fall and injure themselves. Every day, it meant there were lines of people waiting for their turn to fetch water, which wasted everyone's time. And, even worse: the spring's water hurt anyone who drank it without boiling it first.

"Water was fetched from a passing stream where it was not protected," said 52-year-old farmer Eunice Chiedo, who serves as the chairperson of the local water user committee. "This area was covered by thick shrubs. Though the sugar cane [stalks were] around the spring, we couldn't cut them to pave way for drainage due to [the] strictness of the owner."

But now, all that has changed.

"The water is clean and easily accessible after [the] construction," Eunice continued. "We have cleaned up the area. My husband has weeded the sugarcane well. [I] am happy with [the] water [I] am fetching. I enjoy drinking this water because it is fresh, and, I believe, free from contamination. Accessibility has improved. The security is guaranteed [because there is] no room for attack from animals."

With a protected, easily accessible water source, the people of Shivagala have been able to improve their health and focus on what's important.