A Year Later: "I can't believe this is real."

Before we installed a well in Robay village last year, people had to walk miles to a faraway swamp to fetch water that would inevitably make them sick.

For 17-year-old Mariatu, walking the long distance was an everyday occurrence, and it wasn't only the long walk that bothered her.

"There was a very big challenge for me between fetching water and going to school because the distance to [the] stream was more than two miles away, and from here to my school was another two and [a] half miles away," Mariatu said.

She continued: "I was very frustrated living in a community without clean, safe, and sustainable drinking water. The road was very bad, with dangerous animals like snakes on the way to the stream, especially at noon. That is the most fearful time to venture going down [to] that stream, and because of that, I had to go to the nearby village, which [is] another three miles away, but it is located on the highway, which is much safer when it comes to battling with snakes on the way to the stream at noon hours."

Ever since we installed a brand-new well in Robay, Mariatu doesn't have to worry about long walks for water or wildlife attacks anymore.

"I am so excited for having such an amazing opportunity in my community," Mariatu said. "I can't believe this is real. At least my life is now safe from harm. I have been looking for this opportunity since I was very young, and having it is a great achievement."

Mariatu pumps water at the well.