Project 2019-007

Kyabitaka is a small village in western Uganda. They have a water hole nearby which is polluted with human waste. Many of the villagers have contracted typhoid from the diseased water. The nearest borehole is 4 miles and the newest health clinic is 10 miles away. Women and girls are often responsible for collecting the water. According to water.org women and girls spend 200 million hours every day collecting water. Girls especially are vulnerable to violence when getting water. If they are able to make the journey safely, they have missed much of the morning school time. The lack of water and sanitation locks women in a cycle of poverty.

Completed september 2019

A borehole was drilled and completed in the fall of 2019.  Now with a new, deep well, the villagers will have access to consistent clean water, reducing their chance of water-borne disease, i.e. typhoid. The children will be able to attend school regularly now that they’re healthy and not standing in line for water miles away.

Economically the village will be much better as the adults will be able to do their work because they are healthy, crops will be watered and they will have more money because they are not spending all they have at the health clinic for typhoid treatment.

According to World Bank when a clean water source is introduced to an area such as Kyabitaka, the mortality rate of the village will be cut in half within three years. The village school children will be able to complete the water gathering tasks without losing classroom time. The health problems caused by the many water-borne diseases are considerably lessened, leading to long-term effects of better nutrition and greater mental development for the children and an increased opportunity for economic growth for the families with access to clean water.

We have found that introducing a clean water source works best when it is coupled with education. This project includes the hiring of a health educator by our partner to come and teach the maintenance of the borehole, care of the environment around the borehole, how to control the water-borne diseases, latrines, other sanitation, etc..