Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Program: Wells for Schools - Uganda

Impact: 500 Served

Project Phase: 
Community Managed
Implementing Partner Monitoring Data Unavailable
Initial Installation: Jul 2012

Project Features


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Community Profile

Upon completion of the project, our partner in the field reports...

From Kawuma Daniel – Water Solutions Team Leader. “When I reached at this school for surveying the water source I realized that this school had a shallow well for their water use just six meters from a latrine. I told them that this water they are using was contaminated and it was unhealthy to give it to the children. I informed them that they would have to fill in this well if LWI was going to consider working with them, informed them of our minimum standards and shared that the primary phase of our work was the emphasis on health and hygiene. Although they told me that they were using the water for other things but not for cooking or drinking, they agreed to fill it in even before the drilling takes place. This was a positive response to me and we are happy that they got safe water finally.”Because of the community’s use of this contaminated water source and from their use of a spring located one
kilometer away from the community, families were suffering from typhoid and malaria. The LWI Uganda team was pleased to learn of the community’s use of a covered pit latrine as this will help prevent further spread of disease in the community. During the team’s stay, community members assembled a  water committee consisting of six men and four women who assisted the team with the water project whenever possible. This water committee is also responsible for collecting a well maintenance fee of 300 Ugandan Shillings per student per term. The local primary school with 808 students now all have access to clean, safe drinking water. Most community members sustain their families by farming. The people of Kyentaama pride themselves with being the best Matoke (banana) growers in the region. Before leaving the community, the team provided community member, Mr. Gajuni Becca,
with a LWI Uganda contact number in case their well were to fall into disrepair, become subject to vandalism or theft.

Head teacher and thirty-six year old community member, Mugumya Vicent, interviewed by LWI Uganda and who stated, "I will first explain what it means to me personally. Am now going to be relieved from the stress I had about the water issue, have been struggling a lot to see that these pupils get water at any cost, but the problem was getting the water actually. We need not less than 10,000 liters of water and the gravity flow we have in town can give us a maximum of 2000 liters and it is not reliable. We only get it two-three days a week. You can look at the trouble I had, and sometimes we just end up using any water which is available (the unprotected spring) to take us through! I cannot speak for the whole community but I believe they feel the same way like I do because we are in the same boat." Those were the words from Vincent the head teacher who spoke to me while shedding tears of
joy, a sign of the gratitude deep down in his heart.

During the hygiene education, the LWI Uganda team addresses: Hand washing, how to properly transport and store water, disease transmission and prevention, how to maintain proper care of the pump, as well as signs and symptoms of dehydration and how to make Oral Rehydration Solution. All of these lessons are taught in a participatory method to help community members discover ways to improve their hygiene and sanitation choices, and implement community driven solutions. After the hygiene education, the community also constructed a fence around the well site to keep livestock away from their new, safe water source.

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Project Photos


Project Type

Abundant water is often right under our feet! Beneath the Earth’s surface, rivers called aquifers flow through layers of sediment and rock, providing a constant supply of safe water. For borehole wells, we drill deep into the earth, allowing us to access this water which is naturally filtered and protected from sources of contamination at the surface level. First, we decide where to drill by surveying the area and determining where aquifers are likely to sit. To reach the underground water, our drill rigs plunge through meters (sometimes even hundreds of meters!) of soil, silt, rock, and more. Once the drill finds water, we build a well platform and attach a hand pump. If all goes as planned, the community is left with a safe, closed water source providing around five gallons of water per minute! Learn more here!


Sponsors


21 individual donors
Pershing Middle School Global Studies Group 2
David J. Tsiang Foundation