Giving Update: Munenga Community, Burudi Spring

"Before the spring was protected, we used to fetch water using a jug or bowl - something which was very hard - and the water used to be dirty. Whenever someone fetched water, we were forced to wait for some time for it to settle down; then you could fetch. Children, on the other hand, used to come here and at times, those little kids defecated directly in the water which used to be open to every sort of contaminant. But at the time, we had no other choice but to use the water the way it was."

"Now, we drink water from this source without any worry. My life has really changed because there are no waterborne diseases experienced since the implementation of this spring. We used to get sick, especially the children, before then, and I could take them to hospital and spend a lot of money. But since this water point was constructed, my family lives a peaceful life. Typhoid and diarrhea are in the past now."

"Nowadays, I'm able to wake up very early, finish with house chores, and immediately I turn to my side hustle of crushing stones and selling them to people who are doing construction around the area. Per day, I can crush one tractor, equivalent to three to four tons of ballast."

Christine fetches water at the spring.

"It's through the presence of access to clean and safe water that I'm able to do all this, unlike before when I couldn't make time to do this kind of business because I had no time. All my time I spent on searching for safe water and at times, rushing to the spring at least to be the first one before others came and made it dirty."

"I'm now able to feed my family, which is extended, without any problems because of this water point. There is no time I'm worried about water because even if I spend much time on my work, still anytime I can access water which is always clean and very cool for drinking."

Kids pose for a photo at the spring.