Physical Health Uganda Project #47702

Refurbished Water Wells Save Lives in Uganda

by Bridgit Water Foundation

Project Report | Mar 31, 2023
Spring 2023 Uganda Refurb Wells Interim Report

By Tom Webber | U.S. Development Director

BridgIT Water Foundation continues to refurbish broken water wells in rural Ugandan villages. In 1Q2023, BridgIT was able to complete 3 projects on this crowdfunding platform, serving 2,658 people. Thank you to our generous donors for funding these refurb projects.

Mukono District, like many other places in Uganda, faces huge challenges with multiple issues that adversely affect public health. However, the major challenge is the ability for rural schools, villages and health facilities to access clean water. Statistics show that only 36% of schools in Uganda have safe water supply sources in form of piped water, borehole and protected springs within the school compound. This leaves the majority of children to fend for themselves by drinking water from unprotected sources. Every day, thousands of school children head to class with no clean water because it simply can’t be found. Without access to water, education is almost impossible. Dirty water leads to a cycle of disease, missed school days, and high drop-out rates - especially for girls. By helping build and refurbish wells at schools, the situation changes. A simple investment in these wells unlocks the potential of every student by helping them stay healthy and freeing them to remain in class.

BridgIT prioritizes wells at schools whenever possible so that the students can advance their educations without the problems associated with the lack of potable water.

Links:

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Dec 14, 2022
Fall 2022 Uganda Refurb Wells Interim Report

By Tom Webber | BridgIT Water USA Development Director

Kids at refurbished well

During the last quarter, BridgIT Water Foundation was able to refurbish 2 water wells under this crowdfunding campaign. The beneficiaries living in Kigogola and Kitovu Villages are very grateful to once again have potable water with easy access to their homes.

Sustainability is very important to the village residents, because in both villages the wells broke down over 5 years ago, so the women and children were forced to walk at least 2 km to the swamp to collect dirty water. This back-breaking chore occupied over 2 hours/day for many people, taking time from productive work or school. Clearly there is a big incentive to keep the wells working far into the future. BridgIT and its implementing partner, Suubi Community Projects Uganda, trained teams to maintain the wells. In addition, the Water User Committees established a small user fee to build up a maintenance fund so the villages will have the funds needed for future repairs.

As Kitovu Village resident Sharif (not his real name) states: “We are committed to raise our monthly user fees as we have been trained so that if this borehole ever needs a repair in the future, we will be prepared. It is sad that we have suffered with dirty water, yet clean water was in this well.”

In addition to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, in September the Ugandan government declared an emergency associated with an Ebola virus outbreak in Central Uganda. This crisis impacted BridgIT’s work because Mukono District is also located in Central Uganda, and the refurb teams experienced safety delays.

WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) is an important part of BWF projects, and villagers are trained in effective measures such as hand washing, which help to contain the spread of disease. While normal to westerners, when people have to walk miles to collect water that is often contaminated, hand washing takes a back seat. Accessible water in the village allows people the luxury of abundant clean water for WASH solutions.

Thank you to our generous contributors for funding to allow us to refurbish these wells.

Kitovu Village Well Plaque

Links:

BridgIT Water Foundation Website

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Aug 29, 2022
Summer 2022 Uganda Refurb Wells Interim Report

By Tom Webber | BridgIT Water Foundation U.S. Development Director

Woman at Refurbished Well, Bamusuta B Village

Thanks to our extremely generous donors, BridgIT Water Foundation was able to complete 7 well refurbishments in the last quarter. Thank you so much. Please see the attached photographs that show both the construction activity and the completed repairs. The 5,550 beneficiaries are extremely grateful for the gift of fresh, clean water, and it shows in these images.

Testimonials from beneficiaries provide truly heartfelt reactions to these interventions:

1. "I am a single mother living with these 2 children. Many times I had to painfully send them to walk alone 2 km to the swamp to collect water. Of course I was always worried that something bad can happen to them along the way, but I had no alternative. Whenever they delayed coming back, my worries would rise further since there are many incidences of child kidnapping for rituals in this village.

This well is a few meters from our house. I can watch them walk to and from the well. I don't have to worry about their safety any more. I thank all who have supported the repair of this well." Jesca, 32, Bamusuta A Village

2. "I am the area local leader. More than 4 years ago, this well broke down. We brought a technician to repair it, but he told us it would cost a huge amount of money that we could not raise to buy new parts. The villagers had not been trained before about collecting user fees. We lacked organisation.

Now we are very glad to again use our well and also work together to maintain it into the future through our water user committee and other information we received from the training." Hassan, 73, Bamusuta B Village

3. "I am a village health volunteer in this village. I am supposed to sensitize people to practice good hygiene including drinking clean water, washing hands regularly, etc. My work has been difficult since everyone had an excuse since our only source of clean water was nonfunctional for 5 years! My family too was struggling with the same challenge.

We thank SUUBI and all their partners for helping us to repair the well. With easier access to clean water, people will have no excuses, and proper hygiene will be practiced." Maria, 43, Kyajja Village

BridgIT Water Foundation and its implementing partner, Suubi Community Projects Uganda, have a list of many more villages with broken water wells, and we will continue this crowdfunding campaign in an effort to bring safe, clean water to more people in rural Uganda.

Repairs at Ndiiba Village

Workers at Kyajja Village Well

Ndiiba Village Plaque

Gentleman and Kids at Nkulagirire Village Well

Kyajja Village Family With Thank You Sign

Links:

Attachments:

Summer 2022 Uganda Refurb Wells Completion Report (PDF)

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