A Year Later: The Confidence of Clean Water

Before we protected the spring in Makhwabuye, people had to painstakingly scoop water from an open water source. The water was open to contamination, which made community members sick, and fetching the water took up too much of their precious time.

"The water was being fetched using [a] jug," said 12-year-old Leah. "We could at times wash our feet near the source, not knowing the contaminated water mixed with the one we [were] fetching, making it unsafe. There was no structure. It could get slippery, especially during the rainy seasons."

But now, fetching water is as easy as placing the jerrycan beneath the water's flow and picking it back up again. This means people spend less time trying to keep contaminants from their water and more time on productive things like farming and learning.

"Getting water here is good, with [the] confidence of clean water," Leah said. "It has really changed our life because we ensure we take treated water. It has made washing our clothes, utensils, and cleaning easier. We come to fetch water using minimal time."

Leah, right, stands with a community member and our field officer.