A Year Later: "I am very proud of myself now."

Previously, students in Waysaya Community had to get up far too early in the morning to collect water before heading to school, leaving them exhausted and unable to concentrate in class.

18-year-old Emma F, whom we interviewed when the project's construction was completed last year, recalled how things were before.

"It was very difficult for me because I had to wake up as early as four a.m. in the morning to go down [to] the swamp or into the neighborhood to fetch water before going to school," Emma said. "It was a painful moment for me, and the water was not good for drinking, and because I was waking up very early in the morning to fetch water, it was affecting my learning very seriously. I had to sleep in class due to waking up early in the morning, [and] because of this, my performance was very poor. Neither I or my parents were happy about my result at the end of [the] academic year."

But since a new well was installed in the community last year, things have dramatically improved.

"I am so happy for having safe and clean drinking water in my community. I am not suffering again like before in terms of fetching water," said Emma.

She continued: "It has impacted my life in regaining good performance at school, and I am very proud of myself now. I wish I had this water point before now. My academic performance would have been more outstanding than this, but I thank God, and I believe that [the] water crisis is over for good. I will make sure that I take good care of this water point."

Emmah standing outside the well.