Kisiro 1, Uganda
The water crisis was a constant source of hardship for those living in the Kisiro 1 community. The community didn’t have a borehole, so the 345 residents had to rely on local ponds to supply their water. The women and children tasked with water collection had to make trips multiple times a day to collect the water they and their families needed for drinking, cooking, hygiene, and chores. It was time-consuming and exhausting.
To make matters worse, residents had to share the ponds with animals that defecated in the water and stirred up silt. Other dangerous pathogens also washed into the ponds. The community members knew the ponds were contaminated but with no other options, they had to drink the water and suffer the consequences. Residents often were ill with water-related diseases.
Wataba Abudalla is a 50-year-old farmer in Kisiro 1. He and his neighbors knew drinking the pond water was having dire consequences on their health. Wataba explained that without any other options, the community had to keep using the pond water: “We kept on fetching water from the ponds and sharing it with animals. The water was full of contamination. There were several deaths in our community caused by people drinking contaminated water.”
But the Kisiro 1 residents began to experience a glimmer of hope when they heard about Living Water International’s work in their region. They requested a safe water project for their community. Living Water Uganda responded to the community’s need by coming to drill a new well in Kisiro 1!
The Living Water staff also helped the Kisiro 1 community establish sustainability practices to help ensure a future of safe water access, including guiding them in the selection of a water committee. The committee will oversee the care and maintenance of the well. LivingWater will stay in contact with the community to support sustainability efforts and monitor the well’s functionality.
Living Water staff held a hygiene and sanitation promotion activity in the community in order to help residents understand how to safely use and store the water to improve their health. These interactive sessions included lessons on effective handwashing using a “tippy tap”, a simple handwashing device made of locally-available materials.
Wataba explained how safe water at the school will impact the students: “Above all, our drinking water will be free of contamination. There will be a very significant change in all of the students, who will be in good health. Their learning capacity will improve. The food we prepare will taste better. This new well will help us a lot, and for that, I am very grateful.”
At the completion of the safe water project, the Living Water team held a well dedication service, a time of thanksgiving and prayer. During the service, participants heard Jesus’ words in John 4:13-14 (NIV): “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The well you provided for this community will serve as a physical reminder of God’s living water.
Wataba knows that safe water will result in improved health in his community. He said now that residents have safe water, “We won’t have any more infections related to water. I believe this borehole will save lives.”
Wataba and his neighbors have experienced the life-changing gift of safe water. They can now envision a future that isn’t marred by scarcity or illness. Now that community members have safe water in abundance right outside of their homes, they can invest their time and energy in activities that contribute to their education and future.
